Saman Ghoddos struck a dramatic 89th-minute penalty to hand Kalba their first victory of the ADNOC Pro League new season, edging Bani Yas 1-0 in a tense clash on matchweek two.
In a match short on clear opportunities, it was the Iranian midfielder who provided the decisive moment just as both sides appeared destined to share the points.
Bani Yas threatened first after 20 minutes when Akmal Mozgovoy unleashed a powerful strike from outside the box, only to be denied by a superb reflex save from Kalba’s goalkeeper.
The visitors responded shortly after, as Nemanja Jovic cut inside from the left in the 27th minute, skipped past the keeper, but dragged his effort wide of the target.
The second half followed the same cagey pattern, though Bani Yas looked to have broken the deadlock in the 71st minute when Niakate found space in the penalty area and lofted the ball over the goalkeeper.
However, the celebrations were cut short as the assistant referee flagged for offside.
With the clock winding down, Kalba were awarded a spot-kick in the final minute of regular time.
Ghoddos stepped up under pressure and calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner. Despite the goalkeeper guessing the right way, the strike was too precise to be kept out.
The result gave Kalba a much-needed boost after their opening-round defeat to Al Nasr, while Bani Yas remain without a point following back-to-back losses in their opening two fixtures of the campaign.
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