UAE Pro League: Shabab Al Ahli End Al Wasl’s Perfect Start as United Hit Kalba for Four

Shabab Al Ahli walked into Zabeel Stadium with the UAE Pro League’s most dangerous early-season attack standing opposite them and left with the one result that mattered most: a 1-0 victory that ended Al Wasl’s perfect start and put them alone on nine points.

Guilherme Bala scored the only goal of the Dubai Derby in the 54th minute, converting after Mateus Henrique helped create the opening, and Shabab Al Ahli protected the advantage through the closing stages to hand Al Wasl their first league defeat of the 2026-27 season.

Earlier at Al Maktoum Stadium, United produced a very different kind of victory. Their match against Kalba remained goalless deep into the second half before five goals arrived in the final 25 minutes. Shavy Babicka scored twice, Willy Semedo added another and Mehdi Mouhub struck in stoppage time as United won 4-1.

The two matches opened Matchweek 3 with opposite forms of control. Shabab Al Ahli needed one moment and almost 40 minutes of disciplined protection afterward. United waited 68 minutes for their first goal and then overwhelmed Kalba once the match opened.

The Sports Encounter had identified the Al Wasl-Shabab Al Ahli meeting as the first major pressure test of the season in our UAE Pro League Matchweek 3 title-race preview. Friday provided the first answer. Shabab Al Ahli are ready to turn an excellent start into an early position of authority.

Readers can follow the wider domestic and regional game through The Sports Encounter Soccer Hub.

UAE Pro League August 28 Results

Match	Result	Key Scorers
United vs Kalba	United 4-1 Kalba	Babicka 69′, 81′; Semedo 72′; Mouhub 90+3′ | Nourollahi 90+1′
Al Wasl vs Shabab Al Ahli	Al Wasl 0-1 Shabab Al Ahli	Guilherme Bala 54′

The official UAE Pro League Matchweek 3 preview had placed Al Wasl against Shabab Al Ahli at the center of the round because both entered with six points from two matches.

TL;DR: What Happened on Friday?

• Shabab Al Ahli defeated Al Wasl 1-0 at Zabeel Stadium.
• Guilherme Bala scored the winning goal in the 54th minute.
• Mateus Henrique supplied the pass that created the decisive attack.
• Shabab Al Ahli moved to nine points from their first three league matches.
• Al Wasl suffered their first league defeat of the season after opening with two wins.
• The defeat also ended Al Wasl’s seven-match ADNOC Pro League winning streak carried over from last season.
• United defeated Kalba 4-1 at Al Maktoum Stadium.
• Shavy Babicka scored twice for United, while Willy Semedo and Mehdi Mouhub added the other goals.
• All five goals in United-Kalba arrived from the 69th minute onward.
• Kalba remain on one point after three matches.

Guilherme Bala Changes the Dubai Derby in One Moment

The opening half at Zabeel Stadium produced none of the attacking explosion the early-season records had suggested might arrive.

Al Wasl had scored eight goals across their first two matches. Shabab Al Ahli had scored seven. Both clubs entered Friday with maximum points and enough attacking depth to make the game look like a candidate for one of the highest-scoring fixtures of Matchweek 3.

Instead, the first half ended 0-0.

That made the first clean attacking opening after the break considerably more valuable.

It arrived in the 54th minute.

Mateus Henrique helped move the ball into Bala’s path, and the Brazilian attacker struck from outside the penalty area with his right foot, driving the shot into the bottom-right corner.

Al Wasl goalkeeper Mohammed Al Qayoudhi could not stop it.

That single finish became the entire difference between two teams that had entered the night separated only by goal difference.

Shabab Al Ahli Show They Can Win Without a Goal Rush

The result matters partly because it looked so different from Shabab Al Ahli’s first two victories.

Their season began with a 5-1 win over Khorfakkan after they scored five unanswered goals in the second half. Their attack had already established one of the longest current scoring runs in the competition before Friday.

Zabeel Stadium required another skill.

Once Bala put them ahead, Shabab Al Ahli had to resist rather than overwhelm.

Al Wasl continued trying to force the game through the second half, but the visitors protected central areas, avoided conceding the transition opportunities that could have transformed the closing stages and reached full time without giving away the equalizer.

The ability to win 1-0 is especially useful for a squad that will eventually have to balance the domestic campaign with AFC Champions League Elite football.

The Sports Encounter’s analysis of the 2026-27 AFC Champions League Elite draw showed that Shabab Al Ahli, Al Wasl and Al Ain will all face serious West Asian opposition once continental competition begins.

Matches such as Friday’s derby therefore matter beyond three domestic points. They test whether a team can manage a narrow advantage when the opponent has enough quality to punish one poor sequence.

Al Wasl’s Seven-Match Winning Run Ends at Home

Al Wasl had entered Matchweek 3 with more than two victories behind their early position.

Their league winning streak stretched across seven consecutive matches, with at least two goals scored in every game during that run.

Friday ended both patterns.

Al Wasl failed to score for the first time in the new league season and suffered their first defeat after beginning with victories over United and Kalba.

That does not erase the attacking quality they showed across the opening fortnight. It does create the first useful question of their campaign.

How well can they respond when their usual attacking rhythm is denied?

The league opener against United gave them space to accelerate late and eventually win 5-1. Their second match also reinforced the impression of a side capable of turning possession and pressure into multiple goals.

Shabab Al Ahli prevented the match from developing that way.

For Rui Vitória’s team, the next phase of the season will show whether Friday was simply an isolated difficult derby or the beginning of a tactical problem opponents can reproduce.

Shabab Al Ahli Take the First Direct Win of the Early Title Race

Five teams entered Matchweek 3 with perfect records: Al Wasl, Shabab Al Ahli, defending champions Al Ain, Al Jazira and Ajman.

The Friday derby guaranteed that one of the first two would drop points.

Shabab Al Ahli made sure it was Al Wasl.

Nine points from nine gives them the early lead before the rest of Matchweek 3 is completed. Al Ain, Al Jazira and Ajman still have opportunities to remain perfect, but Shabab Al Ahli have already done something none of those teams had been required to do before this weekend.

They have beaten another club that entered the match with maximum points.

That is why Friday carries more information than simply adding another win to the standings.

Our earlier report on Al Nasr’s disciplined 1-0 victory over Al Wahda showed how early UAE Pro League matches are already producing very different forms of pressure. Shabab Al Ahli have now demonstrated the same ability to win a game where control mattered more than volume.

United and Kalba Spend 68 Minutes Waiting for a Goal

The early match at Al Maktoum Stadium followed a completely different script.

United and Kalba reached the 69th minute without a goal.

By full time, five had been scored.

That late transformation is what makes the 4-1 scoreline more interesting than a routine three-goal victory.

United did not slowly build a comfortable advantage across 90 minutes. They broke the game open in a sudden sequence that Kalba could not stop.

The official UAE Pro League report confirms that Shavy Babicka began the surge in the 69th minute. Willy Semedo scored only three minutes later, and Babicka struck again in the 81st to make it 3-0.

Kalba eventually responded through Ahmad Nourollahi in the first minute of stoppage time, but even that goal did not become the final action.

Mehdi Mouhub scored for United in the 93rd minute and restored the three-goal margin.

The full scoring sequence is recorded in the official UAE Pro League United-Kalba match report.

Shavy Babicka Turns a Tight Match Into a Comfortable Win

Babicka deserves the largest share of attention because his first goal changed the behavior of the match.

At 0-0, Kalba still had every reason to remain compact and selective. Once United moved ahead, the visitors needed to commit more players forward and leave greater spaces behind them.

Semedo punished that change almost immediately.

His goal in the 72nd minute meant United had moved from a goalless match to a two-goal lead in barely three minutes.

Babicka then added his second in the 81st.

That progression is more revealing than simply reading the final score. United found the first opening, recognized how the match had changed and accelerated before Kalba could stabilize.

Kalba’s Late Goal Could Not Hide Their Bigger Problem

Nourollahi’s stoppage-time goal prevented a clean sheet, but Kalba’s larger concern lies at the other end of the scoreboard.

The visitors had stayed in the match for more than an hour.

Once they conceded, the structure disappeared too quickly.

Three United goals arrived in 12 minutes.

That is the part of the defeat Kalba will need to examine. Losing an evenly balanced game after one decisive moment can happen. Allowing that first setback to become three goals in such a short period makes recovery almost impossible.

Kalba remain on one point after three league fixtures.

Their opening 2-2 draw with Al Nasr had suggested they could remain competitive when matches became open. Friday showed the danger when that openness develops while they are already chasing the score.

United Have Responded Well to Their Opening-Day Collapse

United’s first ADNOC Pro League season began in brutal fashion when Al Wasl beat them 5-1.

That result could easily have created an early identity for the promoted club: ambitious, interesting, but not yet ready for the level of the top flight.

The response has made that conclusion premature.

United now have six points after three matches.

Friday’s four-goal performance provides their clearest evidence yet that they can punish established UAE Pro League teams when a match enters the type of transition-heavy phase they prefer.

There is also a useful contrast with Al Wasl.

The same United side that conceded five against Friday’s Dubai Derby hosts has already found enough stability to win twice afterward.

That ability to absorb an ugly opening result and move on quickly can become as important as tactical quality during a first season at this level.

Friday’s Results Change the Early UAE Pro League Picture

Club	Matches Played After Friday	Points	Friday Result
Shabab Al Ahli	3	9	Beat Al Wasl 1-0
Al Wasl	3	6	Lost 0-1 to Shabab Al Ahli
United	3	6	Beat Kalba 4-1
Kalba	3	1	Lost 1-4 to United

The standings remain incomplete because five more Matchweek 3 games are still to come. Al Jazira host Ajman, Khorfakkan face Al Dhafra and Al Ain meet Al Nasr on Saturday, before Hatta-Sharjah and Al Wahda-Bani Yas conclude the round on Sunday.

Fixtures and the updated competition table are available through the official UAE Pro League website.

Al Ain, Al Jazira and Ajman Can Still Change the Picture

Calling Shabab Al Ahli definitive title favorites after three matches would be premature.

The important development is that they have created the first separation among the teams that began the weekend perfect.

Defending champions Al Ain still have two wins from two and will host Al Nasr. Al Jazira and Ajman also meet with six points each, meaning another perfect start must disappear unless that match finishes level.

Al Jazira’s position is particularly interesting because their domestic start has arrived alongside transfer activity. TSE recently examined Al Jazira’s pursuit of Inter midfielder Kristjan Asllani and what another technically strong midfielder could add to a team already collecting points.

By Sunday night, the table should be more informative than it was after two rounds.

Domestic Pressure Will Soon Collide With Regional Competition

The strength of the UAE Pro League matters increasingly because its leading clubs are about to be tested outside the country as well.

Al Wasl, Shabab Al Ahli and Al Ain will compete in the AFC Champions League Elite, while Al Nasr and Ajman will represent the UAE in the expanded Gulf Champions League.

The 2026-27 Gulf Champions League draw has already created direct comparisons between UAE clubs and opposition from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, Bahrain and Kuwait.

That regional environment gives Friday’s derby extra relevance. Shabab Al Ahli and Al Wasl need domestic matches against strong opponents to prepare them for fixtures where individual mistakes will carry even greater consequences.

Saudi football remains the clearest regional benchmark. TSE’s recent report on Al Ahli’s FIFA Intercontinental Cup progress showed how much competitive ambition now surrounds the Gulf’s leading clubs.

The UAE’s response does not depend on matching every financial move made elsewhere. It depends on sustaining a domestic league where leading teams are forced to solve difficult tactical problems every week.

Friday offered exactly that.

Key Turning Points From Friday’s UAE Pro League Action

1. Al Wasl and Shabab Al Ahli reach halftime at 0-0

The expected attacking contest became tactical and cautious, increasing the value of the first goal.

2. Guilherme Bala scores in the 54th minute

Mateus Henrique helped create the move before Bala struck the only goal of the Dubai Derby.

3. Shabab Al Ahli protect the lead

Al Wasl were unable to turn their second-half pressure into an equalizer, ending their seven-match league winning streak.

4. Babicka finally breaks United-Kalba open

After 68 goalless minutes, Babicka scored the first goal at Al Maktoum Stadium.

5. Semedo scores three minutes later

Kalba had almost no time to recover before United doubled the lead.

6. Babicka makes it 3-0

His second goal in the 81st minute effectively settled the contest.

7. Two stoppage-time goals complete the 4-1 scoreline

Nourollahi scored for Kalba in the 91st minute, but Mouhub answered two minutes later for United.

The Sports Encounter Verdict

The opening night of Matchweek 3 produced two useful reminders about how football matches can turn.

At Zabeel Stadium, Shabab Al Ahli needed one high-quality finish and the discipline to protect it. They ended Al Wasl’s perfect start without needing the five-goal burst that defined their opening weekend.

That versatility may prove more important than their attacking numbers. Teams expected to challenge for championships eventually encounter nights when two or three goals are unavailable. Winning those matches is often what separates an entertaining contender from a sustainable one.

United offered the opposite lesson.

Their game remained scoreless into the 69th minute, but once Babicka created the breakthrough they recognized that Kalba had lost control and attacked the opening repeatedly. Three goals arrived within 12 minutes, and a fourth in stoppage time ensured the final score reflected how dominant the closing phase became.

Shabab Al Ahli finish Friday with nine points.

United finish it with six and another important sign that their first season in the top flight can contain more than survival.

Al Wasl now have to respond to their first setback.

Kalba have to stop one setback inside a match from becoming several.

Matchweek 3 still has five games remaining, but its opening night has already made the early UAE Pro League picture more interesting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won Al Wasl vs Shabab Al Ahli?

Shabab Al Ahli defeated Al Wasl 1-0 at Zabeel Stadium in Matchweek 3 of the 2026-27 ADNOC Pro League.

Who scored for Shabab Al Ahli against Al Wasl?

Guilherme Bala scored the only goal of the match in the 54th minute, with Mateus Henrique involved in creating the decisive attack.

How many points do Shabab Al Ahli have?

Shabab Al Ahli have nine points from three matches after winning all three of their opening league fixtures.

Was this Al Wasl’s first defeat of the season?

Yes. Al Wasl had won their opening two matches before losing 1-0 to Shabab Al Ahli.

Who won United vs Kalba?

United defeated Kalba 4-1 at Al Maktoum Stadium on August 28, 2026.

Who scored for United against Kalba?

Shavy Babicka scored twice, while Willy Semedo and Mehdi Mouhub scored United’s other goals.

Who scored Kalba’s goal?

Ahmad Nourollahi scored Kalba’s consolation goal in the 91st minute.

How many points do United have after three matches?

United have six points after three ADNOC Pro League matches.

What other major matches remain in UAE Pro League Matchweek 3?

Al Jazira face Ajman, Khorfakkan meet Al Dhafra and defending champions Al Ain host Al Nasr on Saturday. Hatta play Sharjah and Al Wahda face Bani Yas on Sunday.

Who are the defending UAE Pro League champions?

Al Ain are the defending champions after winning the 2025-26 ADNOC Pro League title.