Dubai: Defending champions Al Ahli continued their 100 per cent start to the season with a 1-0 win away to Dubai rivals Al Nasr on Thursday.

Rodrigo Lima got the only goal of the game inside the first half hour to follow on from last week’s opening 4-0 win at home to Emirates Club. 

Elsewhere, last season’s runners-up Al Ain inflicted yet more damage on Emirates with a 5-2 win to follow on from their 1-0 opening win at home to Bani Yas last week and join Al Ahli on maximum points.

Rodrigo Lima got a foot onto the end of Ahmad Khalil’s cross on 25 minutes to put the visitors ahead. The goal came from a counter attack with Everton Ribeiro supplying Khalil down the wing after Abdel Aziz Barrada had scuffed an effort in front of goal up the other end for Al Nasr.

Up until that point Al Ahli’s best chance had come on 15 minutes when Lima headed Ribeiro’s cross straight at Al Nasr keeper Ahmad Shambieh. Khalil struck over the crossbar soon after, and Al Nasr had a Jires Kembo Ekoko curler picked out by keeper Majid Nasser.

Al Nasr should have equalised on 36 minutes but Mahmoud Khamis’ volley in from Barrada’s corner was cleared off the line by Habib Fardan. In the only other second half chance Lima put a header over the bar from Ribeiro’s free-kick just before the interval.

After the hour Khalil put a curling free-kick over the bar and was brought down on the edge of the area moments later, which led to Al Nasr’s Masoud Sulaiman being sent off for a second bookable offence. From the resulting free-kick Khalil then saw his effort graze the top of the bar as it flew over.

Abdel Aziz Al Haikal was sent off for Al Ahli just before the end for a second bookable offence to restore parity with both sides down to 10 men but Al Nasr still couldn’t find an equaliser.

Elsewhere, Al Ain beat Emirates 5-2 away on Thursday. Dyanfres Douglas scored two and Caio Lucas added a third all within four minutes of the 20 minute mark.

Sebastian Sacha pulled one back just before the half hour for Emirates but Douglas sealed his hat-trick on 56 minutes and Danilo Asprilla made it five three minutes later.

Emirates had Ali Saqr sent off before the end to add insult to injury but Sacha added a second on 90 minutes for some consolation. The Ras Al Khaimah outfit have now conceded nine goals in the first two games of the season.