Sharjah secured a comfortable 3-1 victory over Al-Dhafra in the opening match of the Pro-League Regular Season on Friday. The visitors controlled the tempo despite hosting a side with more possession, converting their chances when it mattered. Luan Pereira opened the scoring before half-time, and his team never looked back.
Al-Dhafra started brightly, winning aerial duels and keeping 52 per cent of the ball, but their attacks lacked precision. Luan Pereira broke the deadlock in the thirty-ninth minute, finishing a move that had been building since the fourth-minute yellow card against him. The hosts had a VAR-awarded goal cancelled for C. Doumbia late on, but by then the outcome was clear.
Sharjah doubled their lead through D. Mendy in the fifty-ninth minute, then Julimar added a third in the sixty-sixth. Marcelinho came on for Al-Dhafra at the restart, but the hosts could not find a way back. A. Al Karbi and L. Amesimeku also saw yellow cards in the second half as frustration mounted.
Agner pulled one back in the ninety-eighth minute, but it was too little, too late. Al-Dhafra had six shots on target against Sharjah's five, yet their expected goals of 0.29 told a different story. Sharjah registered 2.36 expected goals, and their three big chances created made the difference.
The statistics showed Al-Dhafra dominated possession with 383 passes to Sharjah's 362, but the visitors were more efficient in the final third. Sharjah completed 301 successful passes with 13 tackles, while Al-Dhafra made 319 successful passes with just five tackles. The hosts had more attacks at 95, but Sharjah's 2.36 expected goals against 0.29 spoke volumes.
Al-Dhafra remain bottom of the table with zero points from four games, while Sharjah move up to fifth with nine points. The visitors have won three of their last four matches and now sit clear of the relegation zone. For the hosts, the defeat extends a run of losses that has seen them concede fifteen goals in their opening four fixtures.