Match Report
On the table this was a mismatch: Al Ain (1st, 68 pts) held a 47-point advantage over Al Bataeh (13th, 21 pts). Against a league average of 1.41 goals per team per game, Al Bataeh ran at 0.92 scored and 1.42 conceded, Al Ain at 2.38 and 0.69.
Three consecutive draws preceded this one for Al Bataeh. Momentum sat with Al Ain, winners of their last seven, having scored in 15 consecutive games. From the last five rounds, Al Bataeh held 6 points of 15 and Al Ain 15.
7 meetings are on record — 1 won by Al Bataeh, 5 by Al Ain, 1 drawn, at 3.71 goals per meeting. Three-plus goals is the norm here, arriving in 86% of the meetings, and both sides scored in 71%.
Khalid Bin Mohammed Stadium staged the fixture, a ground that holds 11,073. Half-time and full-time told different stories: Al Ain led 1-0 at the break, before 1 more goal closed it at 0-2.
Goal scorers
Al Ain: K. Laba (6'), Marwan Fahad (52' og)
Key stats
Possession: Al Bataeh 41% · Al Ain 59% · Total shots: 11-10 · On target: 1-2 · Corners: 2-5