Simon Banza scored twice as Al Jazira secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over 10-man Al Dhafra in matchweek 19 of the ADNOC Pro League at Hamdan Bin Zayed Stadium.
Al Jazira made a bright start and took the lead after 15 minutes. Nabil Fekir’s header slipped through the hands of Al Dhafra goalkeeper and fell kindly to Banza, who reacted quickly to poke the rebound into the net.
The hosts were dealt another blow just nine minutes later when Rostand Djooh was shown a red card, leaving Al Dhafra to continue the match with ten men.
Despite being a man down, Al Dhafra responded immediately after the restart.
Mohammed Elkhaloui capitalized on a defensive error, cutting inside before calmly slotting the ball through the legs of Ali Khaseif to bring his side level.
Al Jazira, however, regained control before the hour mark. Bruno De Oliveira delivered a precise cross into the box and Banza timed his run perfectly to head his second of the night and restore the visitors’ lead.
The win lifts Al Jazira to fourth place with 34 points, while Al Dhafra remain 11th on 18 points after matchweek 19.
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