Title holders Al Ain kicked off the adventure towards defending their ADNOC Pro League title by playing out a 1-1 draw against Ajman on Friday at Rashid bin Saeed Stadium.
The visitors did not need much time to open the scoring after Erik Jorgens picked up the ball inside the penalty area before sending the ball into the back of the net with an emphatic finish.
Eleven minutes after the break, Prestige Mboungou should have equalized for the hosts but his curling effort from the outside of the box hit the crossbar.
Bahrain's forward Ali Madan leveled the scoring at the hour mark when he unleashed a left-footed effort as his strike went under Khalid Eisa's outstretched arms into the back of the net to make it 1-1.
Waleed Azaro started a brilliant counterattack in injury time before sending Obaid Mohamed on a one-on-one with the goalkeeper as his smart finish hit the back of the net.
After reviewing the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), the referee decided to cancel the goal and granted Al Ain a penalty kick.
The 2021-22 ADNOC Pro League top scorer Laba Kodjo missed the penalty after Ajman's goalkeeper Ali Al Hosani produced an outstanding save to parry out the Togolese striker's powerful shot.
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