Al Ahli beat Al Jazira 2-1 to top AFC group
Saudi club finish with 14 points as hosts miss several opportunities
Al Jazira’s missed chances allowed Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli to clinch 2-1 win in the final Group A fixture of the AFC Champions League at the Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium yesterday.
Both teams had already qualified for the knock-out stages going into the contest but this result has allowed Al Ahli to finish at the top of the standings with 14 points.
The visitors have also kept their unbeaten record — home or away — intact in the tournament.
Al Jazira, earlier, had lost by a similar margin in their away outing against the same opponents in Jeddah. In that outing too, their forwards had failed to score despite creating several scoring opportunities.
Al Jazira’s ace forward Ali Mabkhout, may have scored scored 50 per cent of his team’s goals this season in the AFC Champions League (4/8) but last night, he was found wanting. The absence of regular goalkeeper Ali Khaseif, out with bookings, also hurt the hosts.
The home team started of positively with Mabkhout and Brazilian Romarinho seeing their shots at goal being kept out in quick succession by an alert Al Ahli goalkeeper Yasser Al Mosailem.
Al Ahli took the lead as early as in the sixth minute through Saleh Al Amri.
Hamdan Al Shamrani made a swift run and sent in a measured cross from the left and an overlapping Al Amri, just placed it home with a left-footed effort.
The hosts could have drawn level in the 13th minute but Mabkhout’s header off a cross from Mohammad Jamal missed the goal by inches.
The visitors then doubled the tally in the 30th minute; Moamen Zakaria on seeing Al Jazira goalkeeper Abdul Rahman Al Ameri slightly out of position, curled in a first time shot after Salman Muwashar had set him with defence splitting run.
The hosts showed far more purpose after the change of ends and they finally managed to reduce the margin in the 68th minute.
Romarinho scored off a rebound after Ahmed Attas’ first attempt, after being set by Mabkhout, found a defender in its way.
Buoyed by that goal, Al Jazira doubled their efforts and Mabkhout could have stolen the equaliser in the 72nd minute had he been clinical in his final touches.
Mabkhout was spot on to reach for a cross from Mohamed Fawzi but ended up shooting it straight on to the onrushing Al Ahli goalkeeper Al Mosailem. Then mid-fielder Mbark Boussoufa’s rightfooted shot from the top of box sailed over following an assist by Romarinho.