Al Wahda drew 2-2 with host Al Ain, despite completing the match with nine players, in the match that brought the two teams together on Saturday evening, as part of the 13th round of the ADNOC Pro League for football. With this result, the resolution of the "Winter Champion" title was postponed to the match between Shabab Al Ahli and Dibba, scheduled for next Monday, as part of the same round. Al Ain retained the top of the standings with 31 points, two points ahead of second-placed Shabab Al Ahli, while Al Wahda remained in third place after raising its score to 26 points. Al Ain needed only nine minutes to open the scoring, after Laba Kodjo capitalized on a cross from Matías Balaciosius, who easily deposited the ball into the net. Al Wahda was awarded a penalty following a foul by Al Ain defender Marcel Ratnik on his striker Christian Bentek inside the penalty area, after returning to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology, and Omar Khurbin succeeded in converting it into an equalizing goal. With the start of the second half, Laba Kodjo put Al Ain back in the lead in the 51st minute, with a powerful long-range strike that settled in a difficult spot for goalkeeper Mohamed Shamsi. Al Wahda's task became more complicated after the expulsion of defender Favour Ogboro with a direct red card for attacking Al Ain player Mohamed Abbas in the 53rd minute. Al Ain almost exploited the numerical advantage when Laba Kodjo found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but Mohamed Shamsi shone in saving the attempt, preserving his team's chances. "The Happy Ones" managed to equalize through the brilliant Omar Khurbin, who capitalized on a perfect pass from Dušan Tadić to fire a rocket into the left corner of the net, bypassing goalkeeper Khaled Eisa in the 69th minute. Al Wahda did not have long to celebrate the equalizer, as their player Facundo Cubarsky received a red card for a foul on Al Ain player Alejandro "Caco", causing the team to finish the match with nine players. Despite the numerical disadvantage, substitute Mohammed Qarbanani almost snatched the winning goal for Al Wahda with a header, but goalkeeper Khaled Eisa succeeded in saving it, turning the ball into a corner kick.
