Al Ain reclaimed the top spot in the UAE Pro League after defeating Al Wasl 2-0 in a match held on Thursday evening at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium as part of the 19th round. In front of about seven thousand spectators, the home team did not give their visitors much time to settle into the game, opening the scoring as early as the second minute with a long-range strike from Matías Palacios that settled in the bottom-left corner of Khalid Al-Snani's goal. Al Wasl's troubles increased when defender Yahya Ben Khalek added a second goal for Al Ain, receiving the ball inside the penalty area without defensive cover and slotting it past the 'number 20' goalkeeper. In the final minutes of the first half, Al Wasl showed their danger when Siaka Sidie fired a shot from outside the box, which was saved by goalkeeper Khalid Eisa. The Al Ain goalkeeper saved his team again with a brilliant save from a Nicolas Jimenez effort, turning it into a corner. In the second half, the visiting team continued their attacking attempts, with the most dangerous being a Miguel Borja effort that Khalid Eisa pushed away with his fingertips to a corner. With this win, Al Ain's points total rose to 47, placing them at the top of the table, one point ahead of Al Ahli Shabab. Al Wasl remained in fifth place with 30 points.
