The chairman of Ajman Club, Khalifa Al-Jarman, stated that the penalty awarded to Al Wahda in the first half, from which Syrian player Omar Khribin scored the first goal, was a turning point in the match that ended with Al Wahda winning 2-0 against Ajman in the first round of the ADNOC Pro League.

Al-Jarman told Emarat Al-Youm: “Despite the loss, Ajman presented a good technical performance and will learn lessons before moving to the second league match against Al Nasr.”

He explained: “The team started well, and the players did not fall short. Without the penalty awarded to Al Wahda, the course of the match would have changed in favor of Ajman, and we would have achieved a positive result.”

Referee Ahmed Salem Khalfan awarded a penalty against Ajman, from which Al Wahda’s star Syrian Omar Khribin scored the first goal in the 53rd minute, and the same player added the second goal in the 65th minute, securing a valuable away victory for Al Wahda at the start of the league.

Although Ajman performed strongly in the first half, Al Wahda’s Portuguese coach José Morais read the match well in the second half and knew how to secure the full points, as his team appeared cohesive and controlled the game, while Ajman missed the chance to achieve a positive result, despite strong support from their fans who were present in the stands for their first league appearance this season.

Al Wahda is now tied with Sharjah, Al Ain, Al Wasl, Shabab Al Ahli, Khorfakkan, and Al Nasr with three points each after winning their opening matches. Al Wahda awaits a strong encounter against Shabab Al Ahli in the second round.

Goran: We Declined Suddenly in the Second Half

Ajman coach Goran confirmed that his team must learn from the loss to Al Wahda, noting that “the Orange” team performed well in the first half but declined suddenly in the second, which gave the opponent the chance to decide the match.

Goran told Emarat Al-Youm: “Al Wahda managed to score from a penalty, then exploited the spaces we left in defense to score the second goal. We tried to come back but did not capitalize on the available chances. We must learn from this lesson to maintain our focus throughout both halves of the match.”