Ajman and Bani Yas register wins

Olivier Tia, Waleed Ahmed and Hassan Maatouk scored once apiece to ensure Ajman moved into the top half of the Pro League table following a 3-1 win over Wahda on Thursday night. Abdulwahab Abdulqadir’s men took the lead in the 15th minute with Tia stealing past his marker to poke home a cross from the right from close range. Wahda had a number of opportunities to restore parity, but Josef Hickersberger’s men remained behind at the break. First midway through the half, Haidar Alo Ali saw his looping header plucked out of the air by Ajman goalkeeper Jaber Jassim, then Fernando Baiano failed to direct Haidar’s low shot into the area towards goal from six yards out. Five minutes before the break, veteran UAE striker Ismail Matar sent in a shot from the edge of the area into the side netting. Ajman would make the visitors pay for profligacy in front of goal and duly doubled their advantage in the 54th minute through Waleed Ahmed, whose volleyed home over Wahda goalkeeper Mutaz Abdullah, who despite getting a hand to it, could not keep it out. Hugo gave Wahda hope midway through the second period though after the converting the dubious penalty he won for going down easily with goalkeeper Jasim at his feet. But Ajman received swift justice as five minutes later Mohammed Al Shaibah brought Boris Kabi down in the box with a slide in which he clearly made contact with the ball first and then Kabi. Maatouk stepped up from the spot and calmly slotted past Mutaz, who went the other way. The defeat means Wahda are now winless in their last five league outings, a run which has seen them draw two and lose three, with their last win coming against Al Wasl way back on Dececember 30 against Al Wasl. Elsewhere, Bani Yas left the northernmost emirate of Ras Al Khaimah with full points after a 2-0 defeat of promoted Emirates. Ibrahim Saeed and Andre Senghor scored either side of the break in the win, which lifted Gabriel Calderon’s men up to seventh in the table, ahead of Wahda on goal difference. The win for Bani Yas follows hot on the heels of their 2-0 victory over Qatar's Al Aarbi in their maiden AFC Champions League last weekend.