Goals from David Barral and Makhete Diop rendered Mohammad Juma's late strike redundant as Al Dhafra registered a shock 2-1 victory over Al Shabab at Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium on Sunday evening.

The first chance of the night fell to the visitors on the quarter of an hour mark. The Western Knights' captain Diop capitalised on a mistake by Mohammed Ayed to surge into the Shabab penalty area.

The Senegalese striker cut back inside and played the ball across for Barral who couldn't quite get sufficient direction or purchase on his low attempt to unduly trouble Salem Abdulla in the home goal. Diop's delivery in truth got stuck a little under the Spaniard's feet.

The Hawks swept right down the other end though and almost took the lead themselves when Henrique Luvannor acrobatically connected with Dawood Ali's cross only for his mid-air scissor kick to sail narrowly wide of Abdulla Sultan's far post. Shabab then spurned a gilt-edged opportunity to hit the front midway through the opening 45 minutes.

Skipper Carlos Villanueva teed up the marauding Moldovan Luvannor inside the Dhafra 18-yard area and a combination of Ahmed Ibrahim and Abdulrahman Yousuf sent him tumbling to the turf for a stonewall penalty.

Jo Alves took the resultant spot-kick and struck it firmly down the centre yet Sultan managed to divert it up and over the crossbar with his trailing leg despite already committing to a save on his right-hand side.

Undeterred Caio Junior's men pressed on for that elusive opener and Villanueva latched onto Azizbek Haydarov's lofted pass over the top to bear down on Sultan.

The onrushing Dhafra shot-stopper however managed to thwart his effort on the half hour.

The hosts appeared in complete control and as Dhafra's early escapades forward diminished over time they seemingly had been given the green light to proceed on with the one-way traffic.

Nonetheless with the half-time whistle looming large on the horizon Dhafra took a shock lead as the PA announcement for injury time rang round the ground.

Diop once again won possession in an advanced position and fed Barral and this time the former Sporting Gijon and Levante attacker made no mistake. He dummied past Ayed and drilled an unerring finish beyond Abdulla and into the bottom corner. The timing of Dhafra's goal undoubtedly will have stung Shabab and Caio Junior swiftly made his first change at the midway point bringing on Saad Khamis for Ali.

Luvannor drew a good stop out of Sultan with a well-struck drive from distance five minutes into the second period.

The match action then became very bitty and niggly with Hassan Ibrahim being booked for an off-the-ball altercation with Diop.

The same player was lucky to avoid a second caution shortly afterwards as a crude challenge on Diop went undetected by match referee Ahmed Salim Khalfan.

Shabab were then awarded their second spot-kick of the night as Sultan felled Villanueva after the Chilean had poked the ball past the prone custodian. Villanueva took the responsibility on this occasion instead of his South American strike but the end result was the exact same.

The fact Caio Junior had his head in his hands as Villanueva strode up from 12 yards hardly inspired much confidence and Shabab's talisman scuffed his shot wide off an upright.

Shabab's evening worsened 16 minutes from time when Diop turned in Adulrahim Jumaa's right-wing cross following an almighty defensive mix-up between Abdulla and Ayed.

Second-half substitute Juma aka 'Pele' bundled in a late consolation once Sultan had spilled a Haydarov shot but it ultimately proved too little too late.