Al Nasr claimed a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Bani Yas at Bani Yas Stadium in Matchweek 11 of the ADNOC Pro League on Friday.
The visitors struck first after 18 minutes through Jonatas Santos, before Bani Yas responded swiftly as Saviour Godwin levelled the contest seven minutes later. Ramon Mierez’s towering header in the first half ultimately proved decisive, as Al Nasr held firm to secure all three points.
Jonatas Santos opened the scoring with a moment of individual brilliance, collecting the ball and weaving past two defenders before calmly slotting his finish into the net to hand Al Nasr the early advantage.
Bani Yas hit back almost immediately. Alhassan Koroma capitalised on a defensive lapse by Mateo Karamatic, bursting down the flank before delivering a low cross for Saviour Godwin, who had the simple task of tapping into an empty goal in the 25th minute.
The decisive moment arrived just six minutes later, when Ramon Mierez rose highest inside the area to power a header home from Mehdi Ghayedi’s inviting cross, restoring Al Nasr’s lead.
Bani Yas were handed a golden opportunity to draw level once again when they were awarded a penalty, but Otabek Shukurov failed to convert from the spot, with Al Nasr goalkeeper Abdulla Al Tamimi producing an excellent save to preserve his side’s advantage.
The hosts’ task became even more difficult in the 53rd minute when Leonel Wamba was shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge on Glauber Siqueira Lima, forcing Bani Yas to play the remainder of the match with ten men.
Al Nasr made the most of their numerical advantage, tightening up defensively and managing the closing stages effectively to see out the win.
The result lifts Al Nasr into fifth place on 18 points, while Bani Yas remain 12th in the standings with seven points.
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