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Al Shabab grab late 1-0 win over Al Ettifaq of Saudi Arabia

Al Shabab recorded their first points of the tournament in their third AFC Champions League group game, beating Al Ettifaq of Saudi Arabia by a goal to nil at the Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai on Wednesday night. The win moves Al Shabab above Al Ettifaq into third place in Group B and keeps their hopes of progression to the final 16 of the competition alive.

It was a quiet first half for both teams, with Al Shabab playing in their special luminous green kit. It took until the 23rd minute for Al Shabab to put together a meaningful attack, but the home side’s attempt was off the mark. In the 34th minute the Uzbek midfielder Haydarov Azizbek hit the target with a free kick, and the ‘keeper’s block fell to Essa Mohammed in the box but his volley was punched away by the goalkeeper once again. Fielding a side with a mixture of youth and experience, Al Shabab got into their stride more as the game wore on and they strung some promising moves together before the break, but the game remained goalless after 45 minutes.

Ten minutes after resuming play, Ibrahim Abdulla worked the Al Ettifaq goalkeeper with a shot from distance, which was spilled in the area but went out for a corner before anyone could pounce to convert the chance. In the 59th minute Haydarov Azizbek struck a fine volley but it was scrambled away unconventionally by the Al Rayyan custodian as Al Shabab continued to pile the pressure on. In the 65th minute Brazilian coach Marcos Paqueta introduced his compatriot Ciel in place of Essa Obaid, adding an extra attacking threat for the home side. Three minutes later it was Al Shabab’s goalkeeper Salem Abdulla who was called into action, making an important save from Yousef Al Salem’s shot. The hard-working Haydarov Azizbek was withdrawn fifteen minutes from time with Hassan Ibrahim coming on in his place, and Al Shabab’s final substitution saw Mohammed Marzooq replace Essa Mohammed in the 80th minute. Just one minute later all Al Shabab’s pressing paid off as they finally found a way through. A defense-splitting pass from Rashid Hassan found Nasser Masood, who ran onto the ball and buried a low left-footed shot, hitting the near post on its way into the goal to give Al Shabab a 1-0 lead in the 81st minute. The UAE team almost doubled their lead two minutes later when the substitute Hassan Ibrahim saw his shot skip just wide of the left-hand upright. Salem Abdulla had to be alert in goal for Al Shabab during the six minutes of injury time added on, and the ‘keeper was forced to make a flying save from a free kick taken directly by Al Ettifaq’s goalkeeper Fayez, but the home side weathered the storm and held on for a vital 1-0 win.