Al Duhail made a winning start to their GFF Gulf Club Champions League campaign with a convincing 3-0 victory over Oman’s Al Shabab at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium on Wednesday.
Al Duhail took an early lead through Captain Almoez Ali, who put the hosts in front in the seventh minute. The striker struck again shortly after the restart, doubling the advantage in the 51st minute and putting Djamel Belmadi’s side in control of the contest.
Omar Sekou then completed the scoring in the 77th minute as Al Duhail began their Gulf campaign with a comfortable victory.
Al Duhail are competing in the tournament after missing out on the AFC Champions League this season, with coach Belmadi emphasising before the match that his side would approach the competition with seriousness and the ambition of going as far as possible.
The coach had also highlighted the tournament as an opportunity to give more playing time to squad members who have had limited opportunities in domestic competitions, while maintaining the team's competitiveness.
Al Duhail will now look to build on their positive start as they pursue the title in a group that also features Saudi Arabia’s Neom and Yemen’s Shaab Hadramout.
