FOOTBALL – Al Ahed beat Al Kahrabaa 4-2 on penalties after the two sides played out a 1-1 aggregate draw in their AFC Cup 2023-24 West Zonal semi-final, following Al Ahed’s 1-0 win in the second leg at the Basra International Stadium yesterday.
The win takes 2019 AFC Cup winners Al Ahed of Lebanon to a West Zonal final against Al Nahda of Oman in April.
Having lost the first leg 1-0 in Muscat, Al Ahed had a golden opportunity to get back on level terms within three minutes. A clever one-two between Waleed Shour and Lee Erwin saw the Lebanese midfielder unmarked in the box but he couldn’t keep his header on target.
The visitors were the team in the driving seat, and Mohammad Al Marmour was next to try his luck from a long range free-kick. However, Ammar Ali was equal to it to keep the score level.
Al Kahrabaa’s nerves began to show, giving the ball away in dangerous positions on a couple of occasions, but were fortunate enough that Al Ahed weren’t able to punish their mistakes.
A half dominated by Al Ahed ended all square, with both teams fighting for a place in the West Zonal final.
The hosts came out stronger in the second half, looking to kill the game off. Abdullah Abdulameer rose highest from their first corner of the half, but his header whistled over the crossbar. Ahmed Tamim was next to shoot moments later, but he too couldn’t keep his strike from range down.
Al Ahed’s best attack came from Karim Darwiche’s menacing run down the left channel, where the ball was chipped into the box, but Mohamad Haydar’s header was tame.
The hosts had the best chance of the game to seal their place in the zonal final when a quick counter attack saw Al Kahrabaa have a three on two situation. However, when the ball fell to Dennis Tetteh, he blazed his shot over from six yards out.
With five minutes to go, Al Ahed made them pay, as their Scottish striker Erwin guided his header home from an attacking free-kick. The game fizzled out and extra time was required to separate both teams.
A cagey opening 15 minutes saw limited opportunities for both teams, as penalties drew ever closer. The hosts took charge of the second 15 minutes, dominating possession but failed to create a clear opening, and the referee indicated penalties to determine the winners.
Al Ahed’s Darwiche missed the opening penalty after a fine save from Ali, but the hosts couldn’t edge ahead as Abdulameer blazed his effort over the bar.
The next three penalties were converted before Al Kharabaa’s Mahmoud Khalil’s spot-kick was saved by Mostafa Matar. Zaher Al Midani stepped up to convert the hosts’ second, but Matar took matters into his own hands, slotting his penalty into the bottom corner for the Lebanese side to prevail 4-2.
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