Al Wasl defeated Al-Dhafra 5-1 in Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Cup,Play Off-first leg during the match that took place at Hamdan bin Zayed Stadium in the Al-Dhafra area.

Al-Wasl played in a 4-5-1 formation, with Mohamed Al-Wali in goal, and a defensive quartet in front of him: Pedro Malheiro, Adryelson Silva, Yousif Al Mheiri, and Hugo Neto. In midfield played Brahian Palacios, N'Guessan Jean, Renato Tapia, Siaka Sidibe, and Sergio Pereira, while the team relied on Renato Junior as the lone striker.

Despite the strong start of the "Emperor," with organized positioning and high pressing in search of an early goal, Al-Dhafra took the lead through Rayan Yaslem in the 15th minute.

With continuous pressure from Al Wasl players, N'Guessan Jean succeeded in equalizing with a powerful shot in the 41st minute, after a distinguished follow-up to a ball prepared for him by Sergio Pereira inside the penalty area, ending the first half in a 1-1 draw.

In the second half, Portuguese coach Luis Castro made a change to the lineup, bringing in Tahnoon Al-Zaabi and Adama Diallo instead of Brahian Palacios and Sergio Pereira, Soufiane Bouftini, Abdelrahman Saleh, and Salem Al Azeezi participated as substitutes for Yousif Al Mheiri, Renato Junior, and N'Guessan Jean.

Al-Wasl took the lead in the 65th minute from an individual distinguished effort by Pedro Malheiro with a fast run from the right side of the field, and a precise cross into the penalty area to Renato Junior, who put it in the net. Adama Diallo added his mark on the match by scoring the third and fourth goals for the "Emperor" in the 78th minute from a pass by Tahnoon Al Zaabi, and the fourth goal in the 87th minute after a long pass from Abdelrahman Saleh.
Tahnoon Al Zaabi showed his high skill in creating goals, as he set up the fifth goal with a long ball to Salem Al Azeezi, who completed the five-goal haul in the 94th minute.