Al Ain and Ajman met in the Group Stage - 2 of the League Cup on 2 October 2026, and the visitors held on for a 2:3 victory after a match that swung back and forth. They had lost 2:3 to Al Wasl on their previous outing, so the result added another chapter to a run of narrow defeats. Ajman, meanwhile, were coming off a 3:2 win over Sharjah and a 2:1 victory against Al Nassr, and they carried that momentum into this fixture.
Y. Ben Khaleq gave Al Ain the lead in the 23rd minute, but I. Moumen equalised for Ajman twelve minutes later. Lourency restored the hosts' advantage in the 50th minute before S. Hadani struck back for the visitors in the 61st minute. And here's the thing — the game looked settled until E. H. Rahimi's 86th-minute goal put Ajman in front for the first time.
Substitutions came thick and fast in the second half, with Al Ain bringing on M. Palacios and G. Giakoumakis together in the 62nd minute, only to see S. Hadani replaced moments later. Vitor Vargas entered in the 66th minute, and A. Niang and R. Rodrigues made a double change for Ajman in the 69th minute. Jobson picked up a yellow card in the 66th minute, and M. Nasser followed in the 74th.
The numbers tell a story of contrasting approaches. Al Ain dominated possession at 62 per cent and launched 114 attacks, but their shot accuracy sat at just 19 per cent — three shots on target from 14 attempts. Ajman, with 38 per cent possession, were far more clinical: nine shots on target from 12 attempts, an accuracy of 64 per cent. They created three big chances to Al Ain's four, but it was the quality of their finishing that proved decisive.
Al Ain had not won since their 4:0 victory over Al Nassr on 15 September, and this defeat extended a run that included losses to Al Wasl and Al Ittihad Kalba. Ajman, meanwhile, moved into a better position in the group after their fourth straight game without defeat. The goal difference now tells a different tale — Ajman have turned three losses into two wins and three draws in their last five outings.
