Al Wahda powered past Al Dhafra with a 5-2 victory in a seven-goal thriller in matchweek four of the ADNOC Pro League on Friday.
It was a captivating contest packed with goals, drama, and even a red card for Al Wahda’s goalkeeper.
In a game full of intensity and attacking intent, Al Wahda struck first but Al Dhafra quickly hit back, before moments of brilliance tilted the balance firmly in the hosts’ favour.
The match sparked into life after just six minutes when Al Wahda were awarded a penalty following early pressure inside the box.
Omar Khribin stepped up with confidence, stroking the ball into the bottom corner to give his side a dream start.
But the lead didn’t last long. In the 14th minute, Johann Gudmundsson’s precise delivery from a corner was met with a first-time volley by Karim El Berkaoui, who powered the ball into the net to bring Al Dhafra level.
Al Wahda piled on the pressure in search of another breakthrough, but goalkeeper Amjad Alsayed stood tall with a series of fine saves to keep the scoreline balanced.
However, the resistance was finally broken in the 37th minute.
After a flowing team move, Facundo Daniel picked up the ball in space, showed great body control, and drove into a one-on-one with the keeper before slotting a composed finish into the bottom corner to restore Al Wahda’s lead.
Just two minutes before half-time, the home crowd erupted again as Caio Canedo unleashed a thunderous strike from distance, smashing the ball into the bottom corner to make it 3-1 heading into the break.
Things went from bad to worse for Al Dhafra after the restart, when Leonard Offoe Amesimeku inadvertently turned Facundo’s effort into his own net, extending Al Wahda’s advantage to 4-1.
Al Wahda were relentless, and three minutes before the hour mark they produced another flowing team move that ended with Facundo Daniel firing a low strike inside the box — too powerful for the goalkeeper to stop — making it 5-1 for the hosts.
But Al Dhafra refused to go down quietly.
Just four minutes later, Karim El Berkaoui latched onto a precise through ball from Mohammed Elkhaloui, breaking the offside trap with perfect timing.
Showing great composure, he drove the ball past the keeper to pull one back at 5-2.
Moments later, the match took another twist.
In the 66th minute, Al Wahda’s goalkeeper Zayed Al Hamadi was shown a straight red card after a VAR review confirmed a rash challenge on El Berkaoui, leaving the hosts down to ten men for the remainder of the contest.
The result lifts Al Wahda to the top of the table on eight points, while Al Dhafra sit fifth with six.
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