DOHA: Al Shorta took a giant step toward qualifying for the Asian Champions League round of 16 with their first-ever victory in the tournament with a 2-1 shock win against Al Ahli on Thursday.
The most successful club side in Iraq, stunned the Saudis at the rebuilt Khalifa International Stadium, one of the venues for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The victory gave them four points in as many matches which means they require just one point from their next match against Esteghlal of Iran to progress to the knockout stage from Group A.
Al Ahli had become the first team to make the cut on Monday, their cause helped by the fact that the UAE’s Al Wahda were considered withdrawn from the tournament after several of their players tested positive for COVID-19.
Al Shorta shot to prominence in the Arab world in 1971 when they reached the final of the Asian Champion Club Tournament against Maccabi Tel Aviv in Bangkok but refused to play the match in protest over Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
They arrived to a rousing welcome in Baghdad and became part of Arab folklore but thereafter couldn’t make much of an impression when the Asian Champion Club Tournament was rebranded as the Asian Club Championship in 1985 and again as the Asian Champions League in 2002.
On Thursday, it was Al Shorta who opened their account first as Saad Natiq produced a powerful header in the 14th minute off a fine Ali Fayez cross to completely fox the Al Ahli goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Owais.
Both teams enjoyed short spells of domination and Al Ahli got the equalizer in the 56th minute with their sustained pressure paying off.
Mohamed Al-Majhad collected a measured pass from Marko Marin, got past the Al Shorta defense and fired the ball low past goalkeeper Ahmed Basil in the 56th minute.
But it didn’t take much time for Al Shorta to regain composure and sure enough they went ahead again in the 65th minute with Mazin Fayyadh making the most of a low cross from Kudhur Ali on the right flank.
In Group B on Thursday, substitute Pedro Conde struck in the 83rd minute to help the UAE’s Shabab Al Ahli beat Iran’s Shahr Khodro 1-0.
Shahr Khodro had lost to Shabab by a similar margin on Monday and with Thursday’s defeat stand eliminated from the tournament with no points from four matches.
Iraq’s Al Shorta stun former winners Al Ahli in Asian Champions League
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Iraq’s Al Shorta stun former winners Al Ahli in Asian Champions League
- The victory gave them four points in as many matches
- This means they require just one point from their next match against Esteghlal of Iran to progress to the knockout stage from Group A
Late Nandez winner keeps Al-Qadsiah’s title hopes alive
- Al-Qadsiah move to 47 points, 3 behind leaders Al-Hilal, who are yet to play on Matchday 22
- Al-Taawoun fairytale run loses steam as Pericles Chamusca’s side continue difficult spell
RIYADH: All signs pointed to an unlikely title charge for Al-Qadsiah when they held Al-Hilal to a 2-2 draw in Dammam at the end of January.
Since then, it has been a testing period for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
While they remain unbeaten under the Northern Irishman, Al-Qadsiah have struggled to replicate their earlier intensity as fatigue begins to take its toll.
Despite those challenges, Al-Qadsiah have collected seven points from their last nine, with a dramatic late winner from Nahitan Nandez securing a valuable 1-0 victory over a resilient NEOM side. The road to those three points was anything but easy.
Al-Qadsiah should have been ahead inside three minutes. A high press initiated by Julian Quinones and Mateo Retegui forced NEOM goalkeeper Luis Maximiano into a costly error, with his attempted clearance falling straight to the Italian. The 2024/25 Serie A top scorer struck the post with the goal at his mercy, allowing NEOM to breathe a sigh of relief.
What followed was a tactical battle between Rodgers and Christophe Galtier.
The hosts made a few changes from their previous outing, with Nandez occupying the right flank instead of Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat, while Ali Hazazi slotted into midfield.
NEOM mirrored the system, with their wingers tracking Nandez and Christopher Bonsu Baah as they dropped into a 5-4-1 defensive shape. Faris Abdi was a key outlet for the visitors, surging down the left flank on multiple occasions to support Luciano Rodriguez and Alexandre Lacazette.
It was Rodriguez and Lacazette who fashioned NEOM’s most dangerous chances of the night.
In the 38th minute, Koen Casteels denied Rodriguez with a powerful save. Minutes later, a cutback found Lacazette inside the box, but Casteels was again equal to the effort.
The Belgian emerged as the standout performer, making seven saves to keep Al-Qadsiah in contention. His efforts almost went unrewarded, however, as Retegui failed to convert further chances and Quinones endured his first game in 10 without a goal contribution.
Al-Qadsiah eventually grabbed the winner in the dying moments when a cross from Bonsu Baah was flicked on by new signing Waleed Al-Ahmed into the path of Nandez. The Uruguayan powered home what could prove to be the most valuable goal of the season, keeping Al-Qadsiah firmly in the title hunt.
Elsewhere, Damac enjoyed a perfect start under new manager Fabio Carille, as the Knights from the South secured their second win of the campaign with a 2-1 victory over Al-Taawoun.
Yakou Meite scored twice to give Damac their first win since late December, while Al-Taawoun drifted further from the top four after another match without victory.
The result moves Damac three points clear of Al-Riyadh in 16th place, easing immediate relegation concerns.
Meanwhile, Omar Al-Somah continued his pursuit of the all-time Saudi Pro League scoring record with a late winner for Al-Hazem. The hosts defeated Al-Okhdood 2-1 to climb temporarily into 11th, 12 points clear of the drop zone.
Saudi Pro League action returns on Friday, with Al-Shabab hosting Al-Ahli in Riyadh, Al-Hilal welcoming Al-Ettifaq and Al-Ittihad facing Al-Fayha to close out the day’s action.
