Rahimi brothers inspire Al Ain to stunning comeback victory against Bani Yas

Morocco’s Soufiane Rahimi and his brother Al-Hussain Rahimi were instrumental as Al Ain produced a remarkable comeback to beat Bani Yas 4-2 in their opening ADNOC Professional League match of the season.

Al Ain appeared destined for defeat after falling two goals behind in the first half, but a late fightback saw the defending champions score four times to complete an extraordinary victory.

The result also extended Al Ain’s unbeaten run to 34 matches as they began their title defence with three points.

Bani Yas take control

Bani Yas made the perfect start at Al Shamkha on Sunday, with Youssef Niakate scoring twice to put the hosts 2-0 ahead.

The first goal came in the 15th minute before Niakate struck again in the 42nd minute.

Al Ain looked set to suffer a damaging defeat, but Soufiane Rahimi gave the champions hope deep into first-half stoppage time.

The Morocco international converted a penalty in the 45+2nd minute to reduce the deficit to 2-1 before the interval.

Al Ain complete stunning turnaround

The comeback gathered pace after the break, particularly after Bani Yas were reduced to 10 men.

Nemanja Djokovic was sent off in the 74th minute, leaving Bani Yas facing increased pressure.

Al-Hussain Rahimi then levelled the contest in the 81st minute, setting up a dramatic finish.

The same player struck again in the seventh minute of added time to complete the turnaround and put Al Ain 3-2 ahead.

Kaku then added a fourth goal in the 10th minute of stoppage time to complete an extraordinary 4-2 victory.

The Rahimi brothers were therefore central to a comeback that appeared highly unlikely when Al Ain trailed 2-0.

Al Jazira make winning start under Olăroiu

Elsewhere, Al Jazira began life under Romanian coach Cosmin Olăroiu with a 2-0 victory over Hatta at Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium.

The result marked another chapter in Olăroiu’s long association with the UAE league, having previously coached Al Ain, Shabab Al Ahli and Sharjah.

He is the coach with the most league titles, having won 14 trophies.

Al Jazira dominated the opening half and took the lead through Congolese forward Simon Banza in the 45+3rd minute.

Banza headed home after Al Jazira had enjoyed 62.6% possession compared with Hatta’s 37.4%.

Al Maamari seals Al Jazira victory

Hatta had an opportunity to prevent Al Jazira from extending their advantage when Marzouq Al Badawi saved Ali Al Maamari’s effort from inside the penalty area in the 86th minute.

Al Maamari eventually made amends in the third minute of stoppage time, scoring from inside the box to make it 2-0.

The victory was well deserved, with Hatta failing to register a direct shot on target.

Al Jazira, meanwhile, recorded 11 shots on target and completed 88.21% of their passes, compared with 70.75% passing accuracy for Hatta.