Piero Legendary Downfall: First Loss on UAE Pitches

Diba Al-Hisn climbed to the top of the UAE First Division League table after beating United 2-0 on Friday. The victory puts them level on 13 points with Al-Arabi and Al-Emirates, but they take first place on goal difference after seven rounds of matches.

Algerian striker Akasha Hamzaoui opened the scoring early in the 4th minute, before Dutch midfielder Lars Veldwijk sealed the win with a second goal in the 49th minute. The result was clean and decisive for the home side.

This marks the first defeat for United under Italian coach Andrea Pirlo, who had previously gone unbeaten through eight matches across both the President's Cup and First Division League this season. United now sits in sixth place with eight points, a disappointing drop after their strong start under the former AC Milan legend.

Elsewhere in the division, Al-Fujairah secured a thrilling 5-3 victory over Masfoot. Senegalese-French striker Sander Benbachir was the star of the show, netting a hat-trick with goals in the 37th, 39th, and 90+2 minutes. Senegalese midfielder Mohamed Diop and Fahad Barout also found the net for Al-Fujairah.

Masfoot fought back through Gambian forward Irema Jing, who scored twice, and Congolese striker Mignon Kono. But it wasn't enough to prevent their slide to 12th place with just five points.

Hatta moved up to fourth place with 11 points after a convincing 4-1 win over Gulf United at Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium. Brazilian striker Samuel Gonzales scored twice, while Abdullah Khamis and Brazilian Anderson de Campos added to the tally. Nigerian forward Daniel Sunday Daumo managed a consolation goal for Gulf United just before halftime.

Al-Arabi kept pace at the top with a narrow 1-0 away win against Al-Jazeera Al-Hamra. English striker Benik Afobe scored the only goal in the 42nd minute, lifting Al-Arabi to second place on 13 points alongside leaders Diba Al-Hisn.

The day's final match saw Majed and Al-Urubah play out a goalless draw, leaving both teams struggling near the bottom of the table with four and three points respectively.