Shabab Al-Ahli strengthened its historical dominance over Sharjah and continued to impose its will in direct encounters this year, securing a valuable 2-0 victory on Thursday at Rashid Stadium in Dubai in front of 4,348 spectators according to official numbers. The current encounter was an extension of the recurring rivalry between the two teams in 2025, as they met seven times in various tournaments this year, with 'Dubai's Knights' asserting themselves with three wins against four draws, while Sharjah was completely absent from winning in this series. These matches were distributed across the Asian Champions League (two 1-1 draws, Sharjah advancing on penalties), the return leg of last season's league (a goalless draw), the Professional Cup (a 3-1 win for Shabab Al-Ahli and a 2-2 draw), last season's President's Cup final, which Shabab Al-Ahli won 2-1, and finally, yesterday's summit. Throughout the professional era, the two teams have faced each other in 52 matches, with Shabab Al-Ahli winning 26 of them compared to only seven wins for Sharjah, while 19 matches ended in a draw, confirming the clear historical difference between the two sides. In the match details, Shabab Al-Ahli increased Sharjah's woes and their Serbian coach Milos's in the league, opening the scoring in the 36th minute with a powerful low strike from inside the area, before Brazilian Joao Paulo doubled the score in the 61st minute with a header from the penalty area, putting his team in a comfortable position and confidently securing the points. The victory raised Shabab Al-Ahli's tally to 14 points, continuing its climb towards the top of the competition, while Sharjah's tally froze at 7 points, continuing the team's struggles under the leadership of their Serbian coach Milos Milojevic, who suffered his fourth defeat with the 'King', increasing doubts about his continuity in the coming period.
