Kodjo Laba adds two more goals to his impressive total in Al Ain draw

Togolese striker Kodjo Laba continued his dominance of the UAE Pro League scoring charts on Saturday but despite his two goals, Al Ain were held to a 2-2 home draw by Al Wahda.

التعليق باللغة الإنجليزية..
كودجو لابا يسجل الهدف الثاني بطريقة رائعة #العين_الوحدة#دوري_أدنوك_للمحترفين pic.twitter.com/x5xDoES6yY

— ADSportsTV (@ADSportsTV) January 17, 2026

The 33-year-old is a legend in the Emirati top flight and is on pace to have more goals than games played this season, something he previously accomplished in three seasons during his time in the nation.

It was a thrilling match on Saturday at the Tahnoun bin Mohamed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Laba put the hosts ahead inside ten minutes with a finish from a Matías Palacios cross. Parity was restored before the half hour mark when prolific Syria national team forward Omar Khribin, second on the league scoring list behind Laba, converted a penalty kick.

التعليق باللغة الإنجليزية..
العين يتقدم على الوحدة بهدف كودجو لابا#العين_الوحدة#دوري_أدنوك_للمحترفين pic.twitter.com/It3RckFOJS

— ADSportsTV (@ADSportsTV) January 17, 2026

The match turned into a duel between the league’s top scorers. Laba restored the lead for the hosts early in the second half with a fantastic curling finish from outside the penalty area. It appeared that Al Ain would march to an easy victory when Favour Inyeka Ogbu was sent off less than two minutes later.

But the visitors and Khribin had other ideas. Former Serbia national team star Dusan Tadic set up the Syrian for an excellent finish to match his rival. Laba could have had more goals on the day but he failed to give his team the win when he fired wide on a late opportunity.

كودجو لابا يهدر فرصة حسم الفوز لفريق العين في الدقيقة الأخيرة من المباراة 🚫#العين_الوحدة#دوري_أدنوك_للمحترفين pic.twitter.com/VD41bjxpYN

— ADSportsTV (@ADSportsTV) January 17, 2026

In the end, it was an underwhelming result for league leaders Al Ain, who may lose their lead to Shabab Al Ahli Dubai when their closest competitors play on Monday. Laba now has 15 goals in 13 league matches, and his total in all competitions this season stands at 20 goals in 19 matches. The former RS Berkane star and his club return to action against Ittihad Kalba on January 27.