Ricardinho struck a late equaliser for Sharjah as they rescued a 2-2 draw with Emirates Club in a result that failed to ease either side’s relegation fears.

The Brazilian netted with three minutes remaining to salvage a point for the King, who move onto 25 points, six ahead of second-bottom Fujairah. Third-bottom Emirates are now three ahead of them but will be disappointed to have missed out on a vital three points having lead through first-half Walid Esmail and Alassane Diallo goals.

The Falcons went ahead after 14 minutes through Esmail’s sweet strike from the edge of the box. Sharjah were level just two minutes later, defender Ahmed ghosting in at the back post and directing a free header past Ali Saqr.

Diallo shrugged off Mauricio Ramos to curl a fine finish past Rashid Ahmed to restore Emirates’ lead before the break but the away side had the last say as Ricardinho beat the offside trap and controlled Nawaf Mubarak’s pass before stroking a fine finish past Saqr.

Elsewhere, Dibba Al Fujairah claimed a 1-0 win against Al Shaab to further allay their relegation worries. Boris Kabi was hero and zero for Dibba, scoring the only goal after just 10 minutes before being sent off for a studs up tackle in the 32nd minute to leave his side up against it. They held on though to move onto 25 points.