Bani Yas held Al Jazira to a 2-2 draw in the Arabian Gulf League at Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium on Thursday night.
Al Jazira came out firing as they looked to keep up with league leaders Sharjah at the of of the table. Ali Mabkhout unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the area after 34 minutes but Bani Yas’s goalkeeper Fahad Al Dhanhani saved brilliantly.
Just before the break, Mabkhout broke the deadlock as he intercepted Hasan Al Muharrami’s poor pass and advanced towards the box. The UAE international scored from the rebound after his initial shot was saved by Al Dhanhani.
However, Bani Yas responded immediately when Leroy George’s crossed free-kick found Pedro Conde, whose header crept past Al Jazira’s goalkeeper Adel Abu Bakr.
Al Jazira restored their lead in the 84th minute, as Nacer Barazite’s powerful cross was deflected off Bani Yas’ Salim Al Hammadi and landed behind Al Dhanhani in the net.
But Al Hammadi turned from villain to hero when he scored the equalising goal for Bani Yas, as his powerful right-footed shot from distance nestled beat Abu Bakr.
The draw meant Al Jazira moved second in the AGL table on seven points ahead of their match against Ajman next week. Meanwhile, Bani Yas sit eighth with three points and will face Al Wahda in matchweek.
