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Al Wasl lose 1-2 to Alkhor and qualify to face Al Muharraq in the 27 GCC Clubs Championship finals

Dubai-based Al Wasl have qualified to the 27 GCC Clubs Championship finals in spite of their 1-2 loss to the Qatari side Alkhor in their second leg match played this evening at the losers’ Stadium in Doha. The UAE side won the home game earlier with three straight goals. They will travel to Bahrain next week to tackle it out against Al Muharraq on June 4 in the first leg match of the final stage beforehosting the Bahraini squad on June 10 in the concluding game to determine the GCC Clubs Champions.

The two teams started the game with quick attacks trying to score, for the hosts Alkhor to surprise Al Wasl with an early goal only three minutes into play when Madison collected the ball and ran down on the left flank. He rounded up more than one player before crossing it in front of the goal mouth for Reza Shambeya to drive it easily into the empty net scoring the first goal of the match after both defenders and goalkeeper Majid Nasser failed to clear it away.

Inspired by this early goal, Alkhor players became more enthusiastic to launch continuous raids looking for the second goal and they were very close to make it had not Al Wasl keeper Majid Nasser controlled the ballwhich was crossed by the dynamic playerMadison in the 15th minute before UAE Al Shabab’s former Brazilian player Julio Cesar could reach it.

Both teams continued their work as Alkhor tried hard to increase their balance of goals with Al Wasl making every bit of effort to bring the game back into parity, but the hosts looked the better side after taking full control of the match.

Al Wasl played below the par before the break and their strikers failed to threaten the home team’s goal and most of their attempts were weak to end the first session with a lone goal for Alkhor.

The two coaches, Argentine Diego Maradona of Al Wasl and French Alan Beran of Alkhor,started the second half without introducing any changes to their line ups. Al Wasl looked more organized in the second session after making a number of attacks but could not find the back of the net while Alkhor depended on counter attacks in the last minutes which resulted in a second goal netted by Mohammed Juma’a with a left footer five minutes to time. But Brazilian Maryano Donda secured his side a berth in the final with a last minute goal off Olivera’s pass to end the game with a 2-1 win for Alkhor.