Al Ain and Kalba played out a 1-1 draw in their ADIB Cup gameweek one's clash at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium on Saturday, leaving the tie finely poised ahead of the decisive return fixture on 5 September at Kalba Stadium.
The game came to life in the closing stages of the first half after a cagey opening in which neither side created many clear-cut chances.
Kalba took the lead in the 45th minute following a defensive lapse.
Amadu Niang failed to clear his lines, allowing Nemanja Jovic to seize possession inside the box.
The forward showed excellent composure as he cut inside before lifting a clever chip over the advancing goalkeeper to break the deadlock.
However, Kalba struck back almost immediately in first-half stoppage time.
A misplaced pass from Mohamed Subil was intercepted by Kaku, who picked out Laba Kodjo with a perfectly weighted through ball on the edge of the area.
The Togolese striker made no mistake, firing a powerful effort into the top-left corner to level the score.
The second half saw both teams push for a winner, with Al Ain increasing their attacking intent and Kalba threatening on the counter-attack. However, neither side could find a decisive breakthrough as the match ended all square.
The result sets up a finely balanced gameweek two in Kalba, where both sides will battle for a place in the quarter-final.
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