Ajman: Al Ain came from behind to overcome Ajman 3-2 in matchweek 4 of the Arabian Gulf Cup Group A, in an entertaining game at Ajman’s Rashid Bin Saeed Stadium.

Al Ain came into this game with a mix of first team players and some fresh youngsters such as Feras Al Khusaibi and Muhsin Abdulla, and they also welcomed the return of brothers Mohamed and Fawzi Fayez to the first team line up.

There was a surprise selection from coach Zoran Mamic when Marcus Berg, Al Ain’s Swedish striker, played as a central defender for the side on Thursday.

Veteran Ibrahim Diaky opened the scoring for the visitors in the 29th minute before Ajman’s hot striker Modibo Maiga, who had scored five goals in his last three league games, got sent off in the final minute of the first half.

After the break, Ajman did not back down. Instead, they looked for the equalizer despite their one-man disadvantage and managed to score via Bakary Kone in the 52nd minute of the game, when his shot deflecting off the striker-cum-center-back Marcus Berg into the back of the net.

The Oranges continued their excellence with only ten men when Hussain Abdulrahman added a second goal in the 64th minute, a result which would have put Al Ain in a critical situation. But The Boss were not ready to go down without a fight. Caio Lucas hit the post in the 72nd minute before Douglas scored the equalizer in the 77th minute. In the last ten minutes of the game, Muhsin Abdulla scored a header seven minutes from time to turn it around for Al Ain.

Al Ain now sit at the top of Group A with seven points, level with Al Jazira. Ajman, meanwhile, failed to edge closer to qualification and have to battle it out in the last matchweek to ensure a spot.

Dibba pip Sharjah

Dibba defeated Sharjah 2-1 at the Fujairah Stadium in Group B. A goalless first half was followed up by an eagerness from both sides to win the game in the second.

The first half saw a drab encounter, with both teams failing to register a shot on target during the first 45 minutes. Despite both sides fielding relatively strong line-ups including foreigners such as Yaseen Mahmoud for Dibba and Vander Viera for Sharjah, they failed to pose any real attacking threat to each other.

In the second half, things changed, as right back Yasser Salem opened the scoring for Dibba in the 53rd minute. Less than ten minutes later, in the 62nd minute, Ahmed Rashed scored Dibba’s second giving them a comfortable lead with less than half an hour to go. Abdulaziz Al Anbari reacted by bringing on local striker Jamal Maroof instead of Brazilian Cesar Pinares after a poor showing from the latter, looking to change the play up top. Yet it was defender Mohammed Ibrahim who scored in the 82nd minute for the visitors, his goal proved to be a mere consolation.

This result puts Dibba in second place with seven points, behind Al Wasl who are also on seven points but have a game in hand. Sharjah, on the other hand, are in last place with two points and their chances of qualifying have just become slimmer.