Al Shamal's Baghdad Bounedjah (right) and Al Ittihad's Dion Lopy vie for the ball.
Doha, Qatar: Al Shamal came within seconds of a memorable victory on their AFC Champions League Elite debut before Al Ittihad snatched a 1-1 draw with a stoppage-time equaliser at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor yesterday.
Baghdad Bounedjah put Al Shamal ahead in the 63rd minute, firing a left-footed shot into the top corner after being set up by Mohamed Ben Romdhane, with the effort taking a deflection off Muhannad Al Shanqiti and wrong-footing goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic.
But Al Ittihad rescued a point in the fourth minute of added time when Georginio Wijnaldum finished from Steven Bergwijn’s cutback.
Al Shamal coach David Prats was pleased with his side’s display despite the late setback.
“Al Shamal delivered an excellent performance throughout the match, except for the final minutes when we conceded the equaliser,” the Spanish coach said.
“I am proud of the players’ performance, spirit and level, both the starting players and the substitutes. They all proved Al Shamal’s ability to represent Qatari football with honour at the highest level.”
Al Ittihad made a positive start but goalkeeper Babacar Seck stood firm, making several important saves. He denied Dion Lopy and Ahmed Al Ghamdi early on before keeping out efforts from Richard Rios and Bergwijn.
Al Shamal also threatened, with Ben Romdhane hitting the crossbar in the 16th minute before Wesley Said’s header from Bounedjah’s cross also struck the woodwork. Alex Collado tested Rajkovic after the break before Al Shamal finally broke the deadlock.
Al Gharafa players gear up for their match against Al Hilal.
Al Ittihad pushed for an equaliser, but Seck continued to impress, denying Youssef En-Nesyri. Wijnaldum and Bergwijn also went close before Al Shamal appeared to have sealed a famous win. Ben Romdhane even found the net again, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. Al Ittihad finally found their way through seconds before the final whistle, with Wijnaldum finishing from just inside the box.
Bounedjah, who captained Al Shamal, said the team’s lack of experience may have contributed to the late setback.
“We played a great match, but we couldn’t maintain our lead until the final minutes when Al Ittihad scored the equaliser,” he said.
“I believe our lack of experience contributed to this result, which is ultimately acceptable against a formidable team like Al Ittihad, even though we were very close to securing the victory.”
Prats also admitted frustration at dropping two points but said it was part of the team’s learning process in the competition.
“Of course, I regret losing two points in the final moments due to a lack of experience in dealing with such major competitions, but this is part of the team’s learning and development process,” he said.
Despite the late disappointment, it was an encouraging start for Al Shamal, who will next face Iran’s Tractor FC in Muscat on October 12.
Al Gharafa face tough Al Hilal test
Meanwhile, Al Gharafa coach Pedro Martins is confident his side can compete when they begin their AFC Champions League Elite campaign against Saudi giants Al Hilal at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh today.
“It will be a tough match because Al Hilal is one of the strongest teams in the AFC Champions League,” Martins said.
“Al Gharafa is also not at its best at the moment, but we will give our all, and we have the capabilities to compete in the continental championship.”
Al Hilal have won their last 14 home matches in the competition by multiple goals and have beaten Al Gharafa six times in eight previous meetings.
