UAE Pro League stalwarts Ajman left it until the dying moments of the game to secure a late-stage victory over Ittihad Kalba at Rashid bin Saeed Stadium.

This last-minute victory gave Ajman a 4-3 victory in match week 16 of the ADNOC Pro League and puts them in good stead for the rest of the season. With this victory under their belt, Ajman has been bumped up to sixth place in the League on 22 points. It also means that Ittihad Kalba has fallen to tenth place in the league, where they currently sit with 18 points.

In a sign of things to come, Kalba was graced with a penalty a mere two minutes into the match. However, this decision was overturned upon closer scrutiny during a VAR check.

Despite this initial burst of excitement, however, the opening half of the game dragged on, producing little in the way of goals. This momentarily looked like it would end when Boubacar Trawally was given a penalty. However, Ittihad Kalba keeper Jamal Al Sarah saved it and kept the score lines level as the first half drew to a close.

Ajman’s opening goal came seven minutes into added time when the talented Gambian Trawakky was gifted another opportunity to score.

Shortly after the restart, Ittihad Kalba managed to convert a penalty thanks to the help of Peniel Mlapa.

In a somewhat bizarre turn of events, Ajman strode into the lead when they were once again awarded a penalty. This time it was in response to Ioanee Leandro Spadacio being brought down inside the box. Feras Belarbi secured the score when he handily booted the ball into the back of the net from 12 yards out.

Barely a minute after this, Spadacio secured another addition to the Ajman score line when a quick attacking move into the box netted Ajman’s third goal of the night.

Following this, Ittihad Kalba secured a brief rally when the Togolese striker Peniel Mlapa fired the ball into the back of the net in the 68th minute. Bayron Graces followed this up 10 minutes later, which put Ittihad Kalba back in the running.

Although now in the dying moments of the game, this did not mean the action was ready to die down. In a final twist of the night, Trawally scored another penalty for Ajman as the match drew to a close.

This last-minute penalty gave Ajman a 4-3 win over Ittihad Kalba, which puts them at sixth place in the league overall on 22 points.