Kodjo Laba and El Houssine Rahimi lift Al Ain to victory in UAE Pro League

Al Ain’s African stars played a massive role as the Abu Dhabi club rolled to a second UAE Pro League victory in two games on Saturday courtesy of Kodjo Laba and El Houssine Rahimi.

Laba scored twice in the first half to give Al Ain the lead in a closely contested 3-2 victory at Dibba Al Fujairah. The Togolese star towered above a defender to nod in the 13th minute opener before displaying his aerial supremacy again twenty minutes later with a perfectly placed header from distance.

Hosts Dibba fought back after halftime, scoring twice in seven minutes to equalize through goals from Carlinhos and Ali Mohanad. Tied at 2-2, it appeared that the teams were heading for a draw after the action slowed down following Mohanad’s leveler.

But it was a perfect opportunity for new signing El Houssine Rahimi. Acquired to join his more famous brother Soufiane at the club, the former Raja Casablanca forward came on as a substitute and became the hero with his match winner deep into second half stoppage time. The 23-year-old leaped up for a powerful header from Kaku’s corner kick to give Al Ain all three points and maintain their perfect start.

Al Ain return to action next Saturday as the UAE’s League Cup gets underway, where they will face Ittihad Kalba for the first leg of their Round of 16 clash.