Shabab Al Ahli overcame Bani Yas 1-0 on Thursday evening at Rashid Stadium in the opening game of Matchweek 3 of the ADNOC Pro League.
Munas Dabbur scored the decisive goal in the first half to give the defending champions a valuable victory.
The win lifted Shabab Al Ahli to seven points, while Bani Yas remain without a point after three games.
The hosts began the match with attacking intent, pushing forward with numbers and pressing Bani Yas in their own half.
Shabab Al Ahli continued to press and found the breakthrough in the 35th minute when Dabbur headed home from a Federico Cartabia corner.
In the second half, the champions created several chances to extend their lead but were wasteful in front of goal.
The match turned further in their favour in the 67th minute when Mahamadou Camara of Bani Yas was shown a red card after a VAR review for a foul on Cartabia.
Shabab Al Ahli held firm until the final whistle to claim a narrow but deserved win and continue their steady start to the season.
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