Kalba secured a narrow but valuable 1–0 victory over Ajman on Tuesday evening at Rashid bin Saeed Stadium, as part of Matchweek 11 of the ADNOC Pro League.
The decisive moment came in the 24th minute when Saman Ghoddos produced a superb direct free kick from outside the penalty area, curling the ball past goalkeeper Ali Al Hosani to score the only goal of the match.
The encounter began cautiously, with both sides showing defensive discipline.
Ajman came close to opening the scoring in the 19th minute, but Hamad Al Mansoori
reacted well to deny Junior Flemmings with a strong save. Moments later, Kalba made their breakthrough through Ghoddos’ moment of quality.
Kalba continued to press and nearly added a second goal before the break, as Sekou Baba's header struck the left post in the 40th minute.
Ajman’s task became more difficult when Ismail Moumene was sent off in the 37th minute after receiving a second yellow card following a challenge on Ghoddos.
Ajman were later denied a penalty following a VAR review in the 84th minute, before finishing the match with nine players after Abdulla Abbas Al Balooshi received a second yellow card for dissent deep into stoppage time.
The result lifts Kalba to 15 points in eighth place, while Ajman remain ninth on 13 points.
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