Five major events caught attention in the first round of the ADNOC Pro League, most notably the Football Association’s statement responding to Al Ain Club’s criticism of refereeing in their match against Al Bataeh despite Al Ain’s 2-1 win, and the swift dismissal of Al Jazira’s coach, Moroccan Hussein Amouta, following a 2-3 loss to Khorfakkan. This repeats the scenario from the 2021-2022 season when Al Wasl dismissed their Romanian coach Laurentiu Reghecampf after the league’s opening round.

The round reaffirmed Shabab Al Ahli as the “King of Starts,” as despite their 2-0 win over Al Dhafra and sharing the same scoreline in Al Wasl’s and Al Wahda’s victories, the “Dubai Knights” succeeded for the sixth time in history to achieve the biggest result in the opening round, continuing a record that began in the 2012-2013 season with a 6-3 win over Al Ain, followed by the largest opening round win in 2015-2016 with an 8-1 victory over Fujairah.

The round ranked fifth in terms of scoring density in the league’s history, with an average of 2.71 goals per match.

Al Ain’s Statement and Football Association’s Response

Hours after Al Ain’s 2-1 victory over Al Bataeh, the club issued a statement objecting to refereeing decisions, especially VAR referees, after three goals were disallowed, two for offside by Togolese Laba Kodjo in the 5th and 60th minutes, and a third goal by Moroccan Nassim Chadhli was canceled due to a handball by teammate Erik in the penalty area at the start of the attack, which led to a penalty for Al Bataeh, scored by Aziz Janif.

The Football Association issued a strongly worded press statement rejecting Al Ain’s accusations, expressing refusal to question the integrity and competence of Emirati referees, and warning that the association will take firm legal action against anyone who undermines its work or the performance of its members inappropriately, urging the club to improve its members’ performance and avoid matters beyond its concern.

Amouta Repeats Reghecampf’s Scenario

Al Jazira’s management responded to fan dissatisfaction since last season with Moroccan coach Hussein Amouta’s results by dismissing him after the 2-3 loss to Khorfakkan, repeating the scene of dismissing Romanian coach Reghecampf who was let go after the opening round of the 2020-2021 season following a 1-4 loss to Bani Yas. Early-season coach dismissals have been common in recent seasons, similar to the 2023-2024 season when Hatta dismissed Serbian coach Zeljko Markov after the second round, and Emirates club ended its partnership with coach Mohammed Jalbout in the third round.

Shabab Al Ahli Most Positive in Starts

Shabab Al Ahli (the title holder) maintained its record as the team with the most positive starts in the league, achieving this six times starting from the 2012-2013 season opener with a 6-3 win over Al Ain, followed by the biggest opening win in 2015-2016 with an 8-1 victory over Fujairah, then a 4-0 win over Emirates in the following season’s opener, and a 4-1 win over Hatta in the first round of 2016-2017.

Shabab Al Ahli returned as the “King of Starts” in the 2023-2024 opener with a 3-0 win over Ajman, before sharing the top results with Al Wahda and Al Wasl in the 2025-2026 opener, beating Al Dhafra 2-0, while Al Wahda defeated Ajman and Al Wasl beat Bani Yas by the same score.

Fifth Lowest Scoring Opener

The new season’s opening round ranked fifth lowest in goals scored, with seven matches totaling 19 goals, averaging 2.71 goals per match, equal to the 2016-2017 opening round. The 2022-2023 season opener recorded the lowest total goals in league history with 15 goals, averaging 2.14 per match, while the 2012-2013 opener had the highest with 35 goals, averaging five per match.

Pedro: Second Portuguese to Score for Al Wasl

Pedro Malheiro became the second Portuguese player to score for Al Wasl after compatriot Hugo Viana in the 2015-2016 season, scoring the team’s second goal in the 72nd minute after receiving a cross from teammate Hugo Neto, striking powerfully inside the penalty area into the right corner of Bani Yas’ goal.

Pedro also confirmed the good condition of the team’s new signings, with the first goal scored by new Brazilian signing Adrielson Silva in the 23rd minute from a corner kick taken by Hugo Neto, with Adrielson heading powerfully into the net.