FOOTBALL – BAHRAIN champions Al Khaldiya claimed their first-ever victory in the all-new AFC Champions League (ACL) Two last night.
The kingdom’s representatives battled past Altyn Asyr FC of Turkmenistan 1-0 in their second Group B assignment, played at Ashgabat Stadium in Ashgabat.
Oussama Bellatreche supplied the winning goal for the Bahrainis. He was on target in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time, scoring from close range off a rebound following a saved shot by teammate Mahdi Abduljabbar. Bellatreche was later selected as Man of the Match.
The result earned Khaldiya their first three points of the competition, which is in its debut season after being rebranded from the AFC Cup.
They bounced back from a narrow 2-3 defeat to Al Taawoun of Saudi Arabia in their opening ACL Two fixture last month, while Altyn Asyr suffered their second successive loss after previously bowing to Air Force Club of Iraq 1-2.
The ACL Two is the second-tier club competition of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It is one level below the AFC Champions League Elite and one above the AFC Challenge League.
In yesterday’s clash, Khaldiya had a number of opportunities to open the scoring through Talal Al Sherooqi, Nizar Al Rashdan, and Seydina Laye Dabo, but could not finish each time.
That changed right before the break, when Bellatreche broke through. Komail Al Aswad delivered a pass to Abduljabbar in the penalty area and his left-footed shot from just outside the left of the six-yard box was saved by Altyn Asyr goalkeeper Batyr Babayew.
But Babayew could not control the ball, and Bellatreche pounced to send it home.
In the final 45 minutes, Khaldiya had other chances to score through Al Aswad, Al Sherooqi, and Rachid Boumessous, and did enough defensively to secure the victory.
Khaldiya are scheduled to return to ACL Two action later this month when they travel to Baghdad to take on Air Force on October 23 at Al Madina International Stadium.
They then host the Iraqis in Bahrain on November 6 before playing their penultimate fixture of this stage against Taawoun in the Saudi city of Buraidah on November 27. Khaldiya wrap up their Group B campaign against Altyn Asyr at home on December 4.
The ACL Two features 32 clubs from across Asia in its opening season. The top two clubs from each of the eight groups – from West Asia and East Asia – in this preliminary stage move on to the round of 16 knockouts, which are to be held in 2025.
The ensuing stage, along with the quarter-finals and semi-finals, will be played in two legs each. That will then pave the way for the inaugural ACL Two final, which will be a single match on May 17 next year.
Participating teams in the 2024-25 ACL Two group stage are guaranteed a minimum of $300,000 in prize money, with additional bonuses available based on their eventual placings. The champions will receive at least $3.28 million.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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