Khorfakkan stun Al Jazira to make perfect start, Al Ain overcome Bataeh

Khorfakkan made a memorable start to their Adnoc Pro League campaign, edging past Al Jazira 3-2 in a pulsating encounter at Saqr Bin Mohammad Al Qassimi Stadium on Sunday.

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The result marked a statement victory for the hosts, who showcased resilience and flair in a contest that delivered all five goals in a frenetic second half.

The opening 45 minutes offered little in the way of attacking threat, with both sides struggling to create clear chances and often guilty of sloppy play in midfield.

But the second half exploded into life almost immediately after the restart, as Khorfakkan seized control through Brazilian forward Lourency Do.

Just one minute into the second half, Lourency latched onto a precise pass from Tarik Tissoudali and curled a stunning effort beyond the Al Jazira goalkeeper to break the deadlock.

Their advantage was doubled in the 59th minute when Tissoudali once again played the role of creator, weaving his way down the left flank before squaring for Aylton Filipe, who tapped home into an empty net.

At that point, Khorfakkan looked on course for a comfortable victory, but Al Jazira mounted a spirited fightback through Nabil Fekir.

The Frenchman converted a penalty in the 67th minute, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way, before repeating the trick ten minutes later with another composed spot-kick to level the match at 2-2 and silence the home crowd.