Rampant Al Wahda closed the gap on leaders Al Ain to four points after defeating Shabab Al Ahli 3-1 in matchweek 18 of ADNOC Pro League at Rashid Stadium on Friday.
The ADNOC Pro League runners-up started strong, and they successfully opened scoring four minutes into the game when the hosts’ defence failed to properly clear Ismaeil Matar's cross and the ball fell to Joao Pedro who smashed the ball into the left bottom corner of the net from the edge of the penalty area.
The hosts refused to give up after the early goal and kept searching for the equaliser.
Thomas Olsen came close to scoring in the 7th minute when he picked the ball on the left wing and brilliantly dribbled the box, but his effort went straight into the keeper's arms.
Three minutes later, Shabab Al Ahli got what they wanted when Ahmad Noorollahi sent in a brilliant cross which was met by Norwegian striker Olsen to restore parity.
Both teams managed to score two goals in the first ten minutes for the second time since 2008.
The second half started with the hosts pressing hard to take the lead and the visitors being on the back foot.
Two minutes after the hour-mark, Noorollahi launched a right-footed shot from outside of the box which was brilliantly denied by Mohamed Al Shamsi.
Later on, the VAR ruled out a goal scored by Olsen, due to him being in an offside position.
Mehdi Ghaedi missed a real chance to put the hosts ahead when he was through on goal, but his effort hit the side netting in the 77th minute.
However, against the run of play, it was Al Wahda who took the lead five minutes from time when Shabab Al Ahli's defence improperly cleared the ball which fell to Omar Khrbin, who curled a right-footed effort into the right-bottom corner of the net to make it 2-1.
Joao Pedro completed his brace when he picked up the ball in the middle and brilliantly cut inside the penalty area after beating two defenders to unleash a right-footed effort, which nestled into the right-bottom corner to seal the victory in the injury time.
The victory means Al Wahda sit second on 39 points, while Shabab Al Ahli are fourth with 30 points in the bag.
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