Laba strikes as Al Ain and Sharjah share spoils

Caio Lucas’ goal canceled out by Kodjo Laba’s header as Al Ain and Sharjah shared the spoils, at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in matchweek 16 of the Arabian Gulf League on Friday.

Sharjah got off to a fiery start, when they took the lead less than two minutes into the game through Lucas.

The number 77 received Otabek Shukurov’s long pass and went past Al Ain’s defenders before finishing past Khalid Eisa.

It took the Boss 35 minutes to respond, when Bandar Al Ahbabi’s crossed freekick was met by Tsukasa Shiotani, however, his strike went well wide over the crossbar.

Ahbabi was once again at heart of attack for Al Ain, as he got at the end of a loose ball following a poor clearance by Shahin Abdulrahman.

Adel Al Hosani pulled off an excellent save to deny the winger’s shot in the final moments of the first half.

Hosani carried on with his impressive performance as he kept his side infront after saving Jamal Maroof’s powerful strike in the 57th minute.

The Boss dominated position and after multiple wasted chances the League’s top scorer Laba managed to net the leveler as he headed Mohsen Abdullah’s accurate cross into the back of the net just four minutes before the fulltime whistle.

Following the draw, Sharjah and Al Ain occupy the fourth and fifth spots respectively, both with 27 points.

The King will face Al Wasl in the next matchweek, on the other hand, the Boss will face Kalba in a game from matchweek 14 on Feb.14.