UAE Pro League: Laba, El Houssine Rahimi score for Al Ain in crucial title clash

League top scorer Kodjo Laba tallied another goal and El Houssine Rahimi scored a dramatic late winner for Al Ain, who overcame Al Ahli Dubai 3-2 on Friday to seize the upper hand in the UAE Pro League title race.

⭐️ مهارة رائعة وتسديدة قوية متقنة… الحسين رحيمي يسجّل الهدف الثالث للعين#العين_شباب_الأهلي 🟣🔴#دوري_أدنوك_للمحترفين#أبوظبي_الرياضية 1⃣ ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/C8rcoeG8zJ

— ADSportsTV (@ADSportsTV) April 10, 2026

Rahimi, the younger brother of Morocco national team forward Soufiane, came off the bench to produce a perfect strike from distance for the winning goal in the 87th minute. The result gives Al Ain a four-point lead with only four rounds remaining.

Heading into the match, Al Ahli Dubai had held a close lead for most of the season but consecutive draws between the end of February and beginning of March saw them lose the advantage. The signs were not good for the visitors at the Tahnoun bin Mohamed Stadium after former Al Ahly defender Ramy Rabia gave Al Ain the lead just before halftime.

Naturalized UAE international playmaker Yuri Cesar responded early in the second half before trading goals with Laba to leave the teams level at 2-2 through 67 minutes. Laba crashed in a powerful header from a corner kick in the 56th minute before Yuri’s free kick took a dramatic deflection on its way in.

🎯 شاهد كيف سجّل لابا هذا الهدف الرائع
⚽️ الهدف الثاني للعين#العين_شباب_الأهلي 🟣🔴#دوري_أدنوك_للمحترفين#أبوظبي_الرياضية 1⃣ pic.twitter.com/kzN6gqUWY6

— ADSportsTV (@ADSportsTV) April 10, 2026

A draw may have been a satisfactory result for Al Ahli but the leaders had one more trick up their sleeve. The younger Rahimi forward continues to be a valuable rotation option who can influence the match off the bench and his excellent individual effort made the difference. He now has 8 goals in 30 matches from all competitions this season after joining from Raja Casablanca.

As for Togolese striking legend Laba, he is on course to secure a fourth league scoring crown. He has 26 goals in all competition this season and is three goals clear at the top of the league charts with 19 goals in 22 league matches.

The title is Al Ain’s to lose at this point. Their next league match will be on April 23 at Al Bataeh.