Al Dhafra came from behind to earn a 3-1 win over Fujairah at Hamdan bin Zayed Stadium in matchweek 3 of the Arabian Gulf League on Thursday night.
Just six minutes into the game, Nigerian defender Muftau Owolabi forced a save from Al Dhafra keeper Khaled Al Senani.
The guests eventually found the back of the net. After a number of passes between Fujairah players, the ball fell to Roly Nonato inches outside the box and the Dutch forward fired a ferocious left-footed ball past Al Senani on the 15-minute mark.
Nonato missed a chance to double his side’s lead in the 33rd minute, when he fired the ball towards goal only to see his effort go wide.
When it seemed that Fujairah will be taking a 1-0 lead into halftime, the ball found the back of the net once again. This time it was Al Dhafra’s Dutch midfielder Mikhail Rosheuvel, who capitalized on a defensive error and made no mistake scoring into an open net to level the scoreline four minutes before the break.
Just after the restart, Fujairah were awarded a penalty, but it was ruled out after consulting the VAR.
It was Al Dhafra, however, who netted their second of the night just minutes later. The hosts completed their comeback, when a chipped ball found Denilson Pereira facing the keeper and the Brazilian midfielder slotted home to hand his side the lead seven minutes after the break.
Nine minutes from time, Al Dhafra were awarded a penalty after reviewing the VAR for a foul on Denilson. Yaseen Al Bakhit converted from the spot to seal a 3-1 win for his side and net his fourth goal this season.
This marks Fujairah’s third defeat in a row as they remain winless with no points. Meanwhile, Al Dhafra’s strong start to the season continues, as they earned their second win and raised their tally to seven points, moving temporarily to the top of the table.
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