SHARJAH - Inaugural AFC Champions League winners Al Ain slumped to their fifth defeat of the season on Sunday with their 1-0 loss to Sharjah leaving the nine-time UAE champions 11th in the 12-team league after nine rounds.

Al Ain, who will take part in their fifth successive AFC Champions League next year after winning the President's Cup, went down to a Salem Saif header six minutes from time which saw the five-time UAE champions move up to fifth in the 2006/07 standings.

Meanwhile Al Ain's Abu Dhabi rivals Al Wahda, who are also in next year's ACL defeated reigning UAE champions Al Ahli 2-0.

The Dubai side, who are serving the second year of an AFC ban imposed for their refusal to play a 2005 AFC Champions League match in Tashkent, went a goal down on the hour mark when Frenchman Eli Kroupi headed home a Haidar Alo Ali cross.

Five minutes after the Cote d'Ivoire-born striker had opened the scoring, Basher Saeed doubled the advantage with a well-taken free-kick which sealed Al Wahda's fifth win of the season.

Al Sha'ab maintained their place at the top of the table with a 3-1 win over Al Nasr while Al Wasl defeated Fujairah 4-2 to trail the Sharjah-side on goal difference.

In the remaining round nine matches Al Shabab edged Dubai 2-1 while Al Jazira hammered Emirates 4-1