Laba Kodjo Nets Hat Trick In Al Ain's 5-1 Win Over Khorfakkan

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Published: Sun 25 Aug 2024, 8:41 PM

Laba Kodjo netted a hat trick to fire Al Ain to a 5-1 victory over Khorfakkan on Saturday and lifted Al Ain to the top of the UAE Pro League table.

Having scored for the second time in a row in the opening match-week, Kaku fired Al Ain into a deserved lead when he received a pinpoint pass from Matias Palacios, and he made no mistake with his left-footed finish.

Three minutes before the break, Kaku turned from a scorer to a provider as he sent Soufian Rahimi behind Khorfakkan's defence to fire the ball into the back of the net.

Al Ain continued heaping pressure on Khorfakkan's defence, and Laba Kodjo opened his 2024-25 season's tally when he ran onto the six-yard box to head in Soufiane Rahimi's cross ten minutes after the break.

The Togolese striker joined the 100th-goal club as he was set up inside the box by Rahimi's pinpoint pass to drive the ball into the bottom corner.

Jonatan Viera pulled one back for Khorfakkan in the 66th minute, before Kodjo completed his hat trick with an unstoppable strike from the edge of the penalty area in the 73rd minute.

Meanwhile, a brace from Ousmane Camara, in addition to two goals from Caio Lucas and Luan Pereira handed Sharjah a commanding 4-1 win over Dibba Al-Hisn at Saqr bin Mohammad al Qassimi Stadium.

Caio Lucas scored the opener for Sharjah after 36 minutes with a superb diving header following an excellent cross from Khaled Ebraheim Aldhanhani.

An unstoppable strike from Ousmane Camara in the stoppage time of the first half saw the visitors doubling their advantage at Saqr Bin Mohammad al Qassimi Stadium. The third was quick to follow, with Luan Pereira timing his run perfectly to head in Khaled Aldhanhani's cross before the break.

Sharjah were granted a penalty in the 72nd minute, and M. Ben Alarbi's strike from the spot bounced off the post, but Ousmane Camara headed the rebound over the keeper into the net.

Dibba Al Hisn pulled one back when Joao Vitor pounced on a misplaced pass from Sharjah's defence to cut inside and struck a low drive into the back of the net.

Al Wasl's campaign to defend their league title got off to a shaky start as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Kalba. Despite a brace from Fabio De Lima, Al Wasl were unable to secure all three points, as Kalba struck late to snatch a valuable draw in a thrilling season opener.

Shabab Al Ahli started their campaign with a thrilling 2-1 win over Al Bataeh at Rashid Stadium.

The game was marked by high intensity and dramatic twists, with all three goals scored in a captivating second half.

Al Bataeh struck first in the 66th minute when Anatole Bertrand scored, marking his 15th goal in the UAE Pro League. Shabab Al Ahli responded immediately, levelling the score just two minutes later through Munas Dabbur, who has now been involved in eight of the team's last 15 goals in the league.

As the match neared its conclusion, the tension escalated. Shabab Al Ahli's relentless pressure finally paid off in stoppage time. Sardar Azmoum, who had missed a golden opportunity earlier in the 73rd minute, redeemed himself by scoring the winning goal in the 92nd minute, sealing a dramatic victory for his team.

Bani Yas started their season with a significant 2-0 win over Al Jazira at Bani Yas Stadium on Saturday.

This win marked a strong start to the season for Bani Yas and ended a long winless streak against Al Jazira since February 2019. It also handed Al Jazira their first opening-matchweek defeat since the 2015-2016 season.

The first half saw both teams adopting a cautious approach, leading to a tightly contested and goalless 45 minutes. However, the second half saw a shift in momentum. Bani Yas broke the deadlock in the 55th minute when Juan Bauza scored from Bani Yas' first direct shot on target, with Fawaz Awana providing the assist.

Despite Al Jazira's attempts to push forward, Bani Yas remained solid defensively. The home team doubled their lead in the 77th minute when Arnaud Lusamba intercepted the ball on the left wing and delivered a perfect pass to Youssoufou Niakate, who calmly finished to secure the win.

Niakate's goal sealed the victory and continued his impressive scoring record, having now netted four of Bani Yas' last seven goals in the Pro League.

Al Jazira struggled to respond, and Bani Yas successfully defended their two-goal advantage until the final whistle, securing a well-deserved victory to open the season. (with inputs from UAE Pro League website)

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