SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates (Jan. 29, 2026) (Interstat) — Al Bataeh CSC and Al Jazira SCC opened their Arabian Gulf League seasons with a 1-1 draw Thursday at Khalid bin Mohammed Stadium.

Al Jazira’s Aziz Gʻaniyev opened the scoring just three minutes into the match, finishing a quick attack. The midfielder was later shown a yellow card. Al Bataeh found the equalizer in the 61st minute through substitute Simon Banza, who headed home a cross. The match was a physical affair, featuring nine yellow cards issued between both sides.

The result leaves both clubs with identical records of zero wins, zero losses and one draw to start the league campaign. The match defied a pre-game projection that narrowly favored the home side.