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Saudi's Al Ahli staved off a second half fightback to defeat Qatar's Al Sadd 2-1 in the AFC Champions League Elite tie at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium Tuesday.Riyad Mahrez’s first half strike was cancelled out by Claudinho in the 63rd minute, only for Matheus Goncalves to respond with the winner five minutes later to seal a third victory for the defending champions. Al Sadd, who suffered a 3-1 defeat against Al Hilal SFC in their previous, dominated the opening exchanges with Rafa Mujica seeing his close range effort blocked in the seventh minute with Roger Ibanez and Matteo Dams marshalling Al Ahli’s backline.Al Ahli stayed calm under pressure and were bailed out of trouble in the 25th minute when Edouard Mendy produced a stunning sequence of saves, first denying Akram Afif from distance, then Roberto Firmino on the rebound before Mujica’s close range finish was ruled out for offside.Al Ahli began to find their rhythm with Enzo Millot and Franck Kessie pulling the strings in midfield, while Al Sadd’s early momentum was beginning to fade with Paulo Otavio seeing his shot go wide just after the half-hour mark. Al Ahli made their next attack count in the 34th minute with Millot setting up Mahrez after a clever buildup, with the Algerian finishing brilliantly with a low shot past Al Sadd keeper Meshaal Barsham.The Qatari side came close to finding the equaliser in first half stoppage time with Mujica rattling the woodwork from inside the box before Mohamed Camara’s long-range drive was comfortably collected by Mendy. Al Sadd started the second half with renewed confidence with Tarek Salman shooting high from distance, while Mujica missed the target by a whisker when he angled his headed attempt just wide of the left post.Their patience was rewarded in the 63rd minute after Afif pushed through the centre to set up Claudinho, who struck a powerful drive from just inside the box into the top right corner. The Saudi Pro League side regained the lead five minutes later when Galeno played the ball wide to Goncalves, who scored from the tightest of angles past the flailing hands of Barsham.Kessie thought he had furthered Al Ahli’s advantage in the 77th minute after a well-worked buildup involving Galeno and Feras Al Brikan supplying the nodded assist was ruled out for offside. A deflated Al Sadd were left frustrated in the closing stages with Al Ahli keeping the door shut to secure the victory.

Al Duhail secured their first win after defeating Shabab Al Ahli 4-1 in their AFC Champions League Elite tie at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium Monday.It was a stunning victory as UAE’s Shabab Al Ahli had come into the tie very much in form, having accumulated seven points from their earlier matches while Al Duhail had only managed a draw from their preceding games.Al Duhail survived an early blunder when Federico Cartabia pounced on Bogdan Planic’s stray pass to find Sultan Adil but keeper Bautista Burke came to the rescue, denying the forward inside the opening minute. Luis Alberto turned the tables on Shabab Al Ahli a minute later when he threaded a sublime pass to Edmílson Junior on the left flank with the Brazilian cutting inside before unleashing a rasping shot, touching the fingertips of keeper Hamad Al Meqbaali before nestling into the bottom right corner.The Qatari outfit thought they had a penalty in the fourth minute following Benjamin Bourigeaud’s apparent handball inside the area but the decision was ruled out for a free-kick at the edge of the box, which Cartabia sent wide.Al Duhail continued to dominate, coming agonisingly close when Krzysztof Piatek struck the post after a clever exchange with Marco Verratti.Their pressure paid off in the 39th minute when Benjamin Bourigeaud had the time and space to send a curling effort from just above the box past Al Meqbaali off Edmilson’s corner.Shabab Al Ahli refused to give up and reduced the deficit three minutes later with Breno Cascardo converting Cartabia’s corner with a glancing header.Shabab Al Ahli started the second half brightly, with Guilherme Bala firing narrowly wide from distance in the 52nd minute, while Yuri Cesar saw his close-range effort blocked following a period of sustained pressure.Al Duhail, however, put the brakes on Shabab Al Ahli’s momentum in the 57th minute with Adil Boulbina latching on to Benjamin Bourigeaud’s cutback and rifling his shot into the corner.Shabab Al Ahli escaped going further behind in the 65th minute when Al Meqbaali was forced to tip over Bourigeaud’s effort from just above the box before the shot stopper guessed the right way to deny Piatek from the spot after Mateus Henrique conceded a penalty for bringing down Edmílson.The Emiratis threatened through Kauan Santos in the 76th minute, who saw his stinging free-kick palmed away by Burke while at the other end, Al Meqbaali was kept on his toes, denying Luis Alberto from distance.Boulbina was denied his second after hitting the left post in the 79th minute with Al Duhail completing the emphatic win through Luis Alberto’s strike in stoppage time.

Al Hilal continued the perfect start to their campaign with a 3-1 victory over Al Sadd in their AFC Champions League Elite 2025-26 tie Tuesday.Strikes from Yusuf Akcicek, Kalidou Koulibaly and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic steered Simone Inzaghi’s side to a third victory while Al Sadd’s wait for a triumph continued as they suffered defeat after having started with two draws.Al Hilal, who were missing Joao Cancelo and Salem al-Dawsari, made five changes to the starting line-up that defeated Al Ettifaq 5-0 in a Saudi Pro League tie on Friday while Al Sadd introduced four changes from their last continental stage outing against United Arab Emirates’ Sharjah.Following a cagey start, the home side had the first look at goal in the 10th minute after Ruben Neves helped set up Kaio Cesar from a corner, only for the Brazilian midfielder to fire wide off the right post.Al Sadd were almost punished in the 18th minute when Milinkovic-Savic and Abdullah Al Hamddan combined to split open their defence, only for Savic’s effort to be parried away by keeper Meshaal Barsham.Another lapse followed in the 23rd minute as Mohamed Kanno’s cross found Milinkovic-Savic, who had the time and space to pick his spot but missed his target from the top of the box but Al Hilal made no mistake two minutes later.The pressure finally got to the Qatari side after they failed to deal with a Santos Almeida free-kick, allowing Koulibaly to nudge the ball into the path of Akcicek, who slotted home from close range. The Qatari side were caught out again in the 40th minute after Ruben Neves whipped in a cross for Koulibaly to power home with a header.The four-time Asian champions threatened to extend their advantage in the second half with Ahmed Suhail and Milinkovic-Savic coming close two minutes after the restart, while Marcos Leonardo saw his soft close range attempt parried away by Barsham.Against the run of play, Al Sadd pulled one back in the 63rd minute when a clever Pedro Miguel pass found Roberto Firmino - who tasted continental glory with Al Ahli Saudi FC last season - to slot home.Sergio Alegre’s side came knocking again 10 minutes later when Pedro Miguel released Paulo Otavio inside the box, only for Koulibaly to intervene with a clearance. Al Hilal, however, put the game to bed in the 82nd minute with Milinkovic-Savic curling a stunning free-kick over the Al Sadd wall past a sprawling Barsham.Al Hilal had a chance to extend their lead in stoppage time after Abdullah Al Yazidi conceded a penalty but Barsham kept out Cesar’s spot-kick but it did not dampen the gloss on their victory. Al Hilal will seek a fourth win against Al Gharafa SC on November 3 while Al Sadd will play Al Ahli Saudi FC a day later.

Qatar football giants Al Sadd will be eyeing a win against Saudi side Al Hilal on Tuesday when the two powerful sides meet in an AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26 clash.Al Hilal will expect to stay on the winning ways when they face the Qatari side on Tuesday.Al Hilal, the four-time Asian champions, are the only side in the West Zone with a perfect record while Al Sadd opened their campaign with two draws.Al Hilal will take to the pitch with confidence as they are unbeaten in each of their last 13 home games in the AFC Champions League Elite - with the last 11 being wins.Victory Tuesday will mean the outright longest winning streak by any side at home in the competition, a record currently shared with Japan’s Yokohama F Marinos.Al Hilal, however, are winless in their last two meetings with Al Sadd but did beat the Qatari champions in the two matches prior to that.Al Sadd’s slow start to the season led to the departure of head coach Felix Sanchez, with the Spaniard’s compatriot Sergio Alegre taking charge on an interim basis. Alegre couldn’t have picked a tougher match to start his tenure but if Al Sadd do register a win, it could well spark a turnaround in their fortunes.Alegre, however, said during a press conference on Monday: “A tough and strong match awaits us against Al Hilal. We have prepared well for this match and I hope we will perform at our best. We fear nothing. We have a distinguished group of players, and our goal is to play a strong match and achieve a positive result.”Two-time AFC Asian Cup winning captain and an Al Sadd stalwart Hassan al-Haydos said on Monday: “We know Al Hilal’s strengths and weaknesses. We must give it our best. We must also give our complete focus during the match. After Qatar qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup (last week), our morale has improved, and I hope it will be reflected in the match against Al Hilal.”Al Hilal’s Italian coach, Simone Inzaghi, Monday emphasised the importance of winning Tuesday’s AFC Champions League match, adding that his team is at the top of their group and the goal is to ‘maintain that position’. Inzaghi on Monday admired the strength of the opposing team, saying: “We followed Al Sadd closely, as they performed admirably in two matches. We must prepare well for the match in order to maintain our top position.”Regarding the pressure of ACL matches, Inzaghi said that their focus is solely on Tuesday’s match, stressing that the team will face numerous matches in the coming period, and that all members of the squad are ‘ready for those matches’.Regarding Salem al-Dawsari’s injury, Inzaghi said al-Dawsari will not participate in the match due to the injury he sustained while playing for the national team.“He is an important player and we hope he returns to action as soon as possible. Everyone is monitoring the progress of his condition,” he said.

Hosts Al Wahda came back from going a goal behind to remain unbeaten in the AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26 as Jose Morais’ side notched up a 3-1 win over Qatar’s Al Duhail at Abu Dhabi's Al Nahyan Stadium on Monday.Kryzsztof Piatek had given the visitors a 20th minute lead but an Omar Khribin penalty 15 minutes later levelled the scores before Brahima Diarra put Al Wahda in front two minutes into stoppage time and Ala Zouhir hit a spectacular third in the 67th minute.The result moves Al Wahda onto seven points from their first three games while Al Duhail are still looking for their first win, with Djamel Belmadi’s side on one point.Al Wahda had impressed in the opening exchanges, only for Morais’ side to go behind.Dusan Tadic sliced his close-range effort wide of the Al Duhail goal in the 12th minute after being played in on goal by Zouhir as the home side made a positive start with the former Ajax Amsterdam playmaker to the fore.Zouhir unlocked the visiting defence again three minutes later when he muscled his way past the defence to clip in a cross from the right that the unmarked Caio Canedo slammed over the bar from 15 yards out.It was against the run of play, then, that Al Duhail took the lead as the halfway point in the half approached.Sultan Al Brake’s perfect pass from 35 yards out sliced through the Al Wahda defence to find Adil Boulbina as he scampered towards the byeline, the winger cutting the ball back first time to set up Piatek to push his shot over from inside the six yard box.Jean-Charles Castelletto’s pull on Khribin’s shirt saw referee Gulmurodi Sadullo point to the penalty spot and the Syria international showed no hesitation to slam his spot-kick beyond Arthur Desmas as dived the wrong way.Two minutes into time added on at the end of the half, Al Wahda went in front.Tadic’s clever flick over the defence found Diarra and, while his initial attempt was headed away by defender Youssef Ayman, the midfielder’s persistence ensured he netted at the second attempt from a tight angle after sidestepping Desmas’ dive.Al Wahda sealed the win in spectacular fashion midway through the second half, Tadic seeing his shot from 25 yards take a deflection off Cestelletto and Zouhir reacted, springing into the air to launch an unstoppable overhead strike beyond the helpless goalkeeper.

Al Duhail will face UAE’s Al Wahda at the Al Nahyan Stadium for their AFC Champions League Elite 2025-26 match at the at the Al Nahyan Stadium Monday.Al Wahda will target maximum points when they welcome Al Duhail to the Al Nahyan Stadium for their AFC Champions League Elite tie at the Al Nahyan Stadium Monday.The UAE side sit fourth in the standings with four points, while Qatar’s Al Duhail are three adrift in ninth place.Al Wahda, however, will tread carefully as their head-to-head record isn’t in their favour, having lost both previous encounters against the Qatari side.They will draw confidence from their good start to the season – domestically as well as on the continental stage – in their bid to walk away with the points.Leading their charge will be Omar Khribin, who led Syria to AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 qualification this past week.Al Duhail, who held defending champions Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli to a 2-2 draw three weeks ago, need to get on the winning trail if knockout stage qualification is to be achieved.“We are ready to play the match, and we look forward to achieving our first victory in the continental competition,” Al Duhail coach Djamel Belmadi said.“Although we have only earned one point from two matches, I do not consider them negative results, especially since we played against Al Hilal and Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia, and I believe that the confrontation with Al Wahda will also be strong, during which we will try to play with extreme focus.”That will require defensive resolve, with four goals having already been conceded but they are struggling for form – sitting sixth in the Qatar Stars League.They did come within a whisker of defeating Al Ahli and if they can reproduce that form, they may well extend their winning streak against Al Wahda.Al Gharafa vs Al Ahli Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia will be aiming to return to winning ways when they entertain Al Gharafa in the AFC Champions League Elite at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium Monday.The defending champions were held to a 2-2 draw by Qatar’s Al Duhail SC on Matchday Two, which halted the Saudi Arabian side’s winning run at eight.The draw, however, meant that Al Ahli joined Saudi Pro League rivals Al Hilal SFC and Ulsan HD of South Republic on a 20-match unbeaten run in the continental showpiece and they will be determined to claim the record for themselves Monday.The head-to-head with Al Gharafa is very much in Al Ahli’s favour as they are unbeaten in their last five meetings – winning two and drawing three.They will expect to score, having already netted six goals, but their defence has been porous with four conceded in their earlier two matches and Al Ahli will be focused on staying tight at the back.Al Gharafa will not be fazed by the prospect of playing Al Ahli away, especially after defeating Iraq’s Al Shorta 2-0 on Matchday Two.Al Gharafa’s coach Pedro Martins while addressing the media on eve of the match, said, “A tough match awaits us against the title holder, and we will play in our style with the aim of achieving victory.”Joselu will be counted on to deliver the goals, with the Spanish forward leading the continental charts with three and if he scores Monday, he will become the first Al Gharafa player to score in three consecutive games to start a season since at least 2013.The Qatari side, however, have lost their last three away games on the continent.

Qatar's Al Ahli and Uzbekistan's Andijon shared the points after playing out a goalless draw in their AFC Champions League Two Group B tie Wednesday in Andijan, Uzbekistan.The stalemate meant both sides are still seeking their first win, with their respective opening encounters also ending in draws. The first chance fell to Andijon when Mukhammadkarim Toirov let fly on the bounce from 25 yards out in the 11th minute but his effort was straight at Al Ahli goalkeeper Marwan Sherif.The game then became cagey and only really came to life in the final minutes of the half when Al Ahli’s Suhaib Gannan picked out Sekou Yansane in the box but the forward hit his effort into the ground, allowing Erzhan Tokotaev to gather easily. A mistake from Driss Fettouhi – who underhit his pass – nearly cost the Qatari side in the 43rd minute when Usmonali Ismonaliev intercepted and fed Doniyor Abdummanopov, who forced a diving save from Sherif.Andijon looked the more likely to break the deadlock after the interval with Krystian Nowak’s header from Damir Temirov’s corner delivery sailing just over a minute into the restart. Seeing his side under pressure, Al Ahli head coach Igor Biscan called upon the experienced Julian Draxler to replace Yansane in the 64th minute and the former German international nearly created the opening goal eight minutes later when he spotted Hilal Mohammed’s run, only for the full-back to scoop his effort over the bar.Al Ahli’s improvement saw them forcing Tokotaev to make a point-blank save from Gannan’s header in the 78th minute but the remainder of the game yielded no goals as the sides shared the spoils.Ahli coach Igor Biscan expressed satisfaction with the away result despite his side’s missed chances. “We played well and created several opportunities, but we were unlucky and faced difficulties breaking down their defensive organisation,” Biscan said at the post-match press conference.He pointed to the poor pitch conditions as a factor affecting his players’ attacking play but remained upbeat about their prospects. “Overall, I am satisfied with the draw away from home. We will work hard to achieve victory in the next round when we host Andijon in Doha,” he said.The Croatian praised his players’ commitment, saying they deserved more than a draw based on their performance. He also revealed that Draxler was introduced only in the second half due to fitness concerns. “He had some pain after the league match against Al Shahaniya, so I didn’t want to risk him from the start. His quality and influence were clear when he came on, and he remains a very important player for us,” Biscan added.Al Ahli will now look to secure their first group-stage victory when they meet Andijon again in the return fixture in Doha.

Sharjah FC came from behind to force an entertaining 1-1 draw with Al Sadd in their AFC Champions League Elite 2025-26 tie at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium Tuesday.The hosts’ Akram Afif’s cracker of a shot in the 18th minute was cancelled out by the UAE side’s Caio Fernandes in the 73rd minute to give the teams a share of the points.Sharjah were the early aggressors, with Rei Manaj and Caio Fernandes both sending their attempts over the bar within the first six minutes while Manaj blasted his free-kick straight into the defensive wall in the eighth minute.Afif, however, flipped the script in the 18th minute when he came down the right, cut in and rifled an unstoppable shot from 20 yards past Darwish Habib’s right hand.The thrills continued two minutes later when the UAE side were awarded a penalty after Boualem Khoukhi handled the ball, but keeper Meshaal Barsham judged correctly, diving to his right and palming out Caio’s attempt.The game slowed down after the initial rush, with the next noteworthy moment coming in the 40th minute when Manaj picked up a pass from Khaled Ebraheim, pivoted in the box and let loose a shot that rattled the left post. Barsham pulled off a fine save from Manaj in the 61st minute after the striker controlled the ball and side-footed from close range while his counterpart Darwish pulled off an equally important save four minutes later from Rafael Mujica inside the area.Sharjah’s determination was finally rewarded when Caio made amends for his penalty miss, picking up a lovely chip from Adel Taarabt in the 73rd minute and blasting home from just outside the six-yard box. Barsham prevented Sharjah from increasing the scoreline 10 minutes later when he went into a full-length dive to prevent Ousmane Camara’s low shot from going into the bottom left corner.Al Sadd coach Felix Sanchez sounded disappointed after his side were held to a draw by Sharjah, with the Spaniard saying his team had “lost two points” at home.“We took the lead in the first half,” Sanchez said at the post-match press conference. “We wanted to continue the same performance in the second half and play attacking football, but the team retreated and we conceded a goal unexpectedly. The match was evenly balanced, and we were unable to control it.”Sanchez said that a draw was not the target, especially on home soil.“Yes, we definitely lost two points. We should have won, and our goal was to win the match. We got a point, but it wasn’t enough,” he said. Sanchez acknowledged the need for improvement while pointing to the absence of key players.“I made several changes during the match, some of which were necessary, as we wanted to increase the pressure on the opposing team. We didn’t achieve the desired result, and I don’t want to find excuses, but we are waiting for the return of Claudinho and other injured players. We have a good team, and we must develop ourselves in the coming period,” the former Qatar coach said.The result leaves 2011 champions Al Sadd still looking for their first win after their 1-1 opening stalemate with Iraq’s Al Shorta while Sharjah have amassed four points after their 4-3 win against Qatar’s Al Gharafa SC on Matchday One. Sharjah will meet Islamic Republic of Iran’s Tractor FC on Oct 20 while Al Sadd face Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal SFC the next day.-www.the-afc.com

Al Gharafa of Qatar turned on the power in the second half to defeat Iraq’s Al Shorta 2-0 in their AFC Champions League Elite tie Monday.Strikes from Joselu and Ferjani Sassi earned Pedro Martins’ side the points as Al Gharafa got on the winning trail after having suffered a 4-3 defeat against UAE’s Sharjah FC in their opener.Al Shorta, meanwhile, are still seeking their first win after having played to a 1-1 draw with Qatar’s Al Sadd two weeks ago. The home side were almost caught napping by a counter-attacking move in the fifth minute when Ahmed Yahia powered down the left and relayed the ball to Mahmoud al-Mawas, whose shot rattled the left post from inside the six-yard-box.Al Gharafa came close to taking the lead in the 13th minute when Joselu pounced on a poor back pass from Mehdi Ashabi, only to see his effort from an acute angle strike the right post. The Iraqi outfit had a great chance just moments later after Mahmoud al-Mawas lost his marker down the right and set up Leonel Ateba who fumbled his shot from close range.The duo almost conjured the opener just after the half-hour mark when al-Mawas timed his run to perfection to slip the ball to Ateba, whose effort from inside the box was foiled by Al Gharafa keeper Amine Lecomte-Addani. At the other end, Al Shorta wasted their best chance of the half from a fast break which saw Fabricio Díaz play the ball across to Ahmed al-Ganehi, who skied his effort.The deadlock was broken three minutes into the second half when al-Ganehi intercepted a poor pass, leaving Yacine Brahimi to tee up Joselu to slot home from close range.Gharafa extended their lead in the 54th minute after Brahimi’s precise cross into the box was headed by Sassi past outstretched keeper Ahmed Basil.The home side were denied a third goal in the 66th minute when al-Ganehi’s effort struck the bar from inside the box, while Al Shorta came close on a breakaway with Al Mawas teeing up Dominique Mendy, whose shot was blocked.Al Gharafa next meet defending champions Al Ahli Saudi in an away game on October 20, with Al Shorta to host Al Ittihad Club on the same day.Duhail hold defending champions AhliAl Duhail and Al Ahli Saudi FC both had the lead but eventually had to settle for a 2-2 draw in their AFC Champions League Elite match.While the stalemate meant Al Ahli equalled the tournament’s unbeaten run record of 20 matches, it ended their eight-game winning run as Duhail earned a well deserved point. The reigning champions didn’t have to wait long to register their first attempt on target, Matheus Goncalves with a delicate chip into the box in the eighth minute which Roger Ibanez got his head to, forcing Al Duhail goalkeeper Arthus Desmas to backtrack to tip the ball over.Al Ahli, however, then found themselves trailing for the second game running as Matthias Jaissle’s side switched off the 25th minute, allowing a goal kick to be flicked on by Krzysztof Piatek to Adil Boubina, who hit the post but Edmilson Junior was on hand to tap home the rebound. Al Duhail suffered a blow seven minutes later when Desmas - who was making his debut for the Qatari side - suffered a head injury after a heavy collision with Feras Albrikan, with Bautista Burke replacing him.Burke, however, didn’t have time to settle in as Al Ahli drew level on 42 minutes when Goncalves cut inside Youssef Ayman before firing a low shot to the near post which the 22-year-old got a hand to but was not enough to keep the ball out.Things went from bad to worse for Burke four minutes later when his attempted pass out from the box went straight to Riyad Mahrez, who had the simple task of rolling the ball into an unguarded goalmouth. Djamel Belmadi took a gamble at the start of the second half, replacing midfielder Luis Alberto with forward Almoez Ali, who partnered Piatek and the Al Duhail head coach was rewarded just two minutes in.Edmilson got away from Goncalves on the right flank before delivering a telling cross that was thumped into the top corner by Piatek. Piatek should have gotten his second 10 minutes later from another Edmilson cross but despite being unmarked, could not get his volley on target while Ivan Toney had a late attempt saved by Burke as the sides settled for a share of the points.

Qatar’s Al Sadd came from behind to hold the Iraqi side Al Shorta 1-1 in their AFC Champions League Elite League Stage opener at the Al Zawraa Stadium in Baghdad Monday. Al Shorta took the lead through Dominique Mendy in the first half but Hassan al-Haydos equalised for the Qatari side in the second period as the sides had to be satisfied with a stalemate. Al Shorta controlled the narrative from the start with Mendy almost beating Al Sadd keeper Meshaal Barsham in the 16th minute when his shot from distance sailed just over the crossbar. Felix Sanchez’s Al Sadd almost found a way through eight minutes later when Al Haydos lobbed a neat pass to Rafa Mujica, only for the forward to miscue his volley from inside the box. Al Shorta’s pressure was rewarded in the 28th minute with Mendy marking his debut with a memorable goal after latching onto a poor clearance to drive into the box and drilling the ball past Barsham. Al Sadd nearly responded 10 minutes later with Akram Afif firing wide from distance, while Mujica saw his effort come back off the right post after slipping past two Al Shorta defenders and keeper Ahmed Basil. The Iraqi side stayed on top of things in the second half with Leonel Ateba threatening in the 56th minute before Al Sadd hit back six minutes later. Mujica’s effort was blocked before Boualem Khoukhi saw his header denied by the bar from the ensuing corner, which led to the Spaniard seeing his cross into the box deflected onto the path of Al Haydos, who struck with precision into the bottom left corner. Al Shorta piled on the pressure in the closing stages with Mendy and Abdulrazzaq Qasim seeing their efforts from distance fall short while Mahmoud Al Mawas left Barsham off the hook through his free-kick. Afif had a chance to snatch victory in the third minute of stoppage time but skied his close range effort as the sides settled for the share of the spoils. Ten-man Gharafa lose in thriller Igor Coronado struck deep into injury time to earn hosts Sharjah FC a thrilling 4-3 win over 10-man Al Gharafa at Sharjah Stadium as the Emirati side kicked off their AFC Champions League Elite campaign in dramatic style. Coronado slid his shot beyond substitute goalkeeper Lecomte Amine nine minutes into stoppage time to complete a remarkable comeback for the AFC Champions League Two 2024/25 winners, who had trailed for much of the match. The Qataris were given the opportunity to go in front in the 33rd minute when referee Majed al-Shamrani was called to the pitch side monitor to review a tackle by Geronimo Poblete on Yacine Brahimi, with the official eventually pointing to the spot. Brahimi took full advantage, stepping up to fire a right-foot strike high into the top corner and well beyond the dive of Darwish Mohammad. Vladimir Prijovic almost levelled two minutes into added time when he fizzed a shot wide of Khalifa Ababacar’s left post while seconds later Coronado, introduced from the bench just moments later, clipped the frame of the goal with another effort from the edge of the area. Sharjah’s hopes were further dented four minutes into added time when Brahimi’s perfectly weighted pass released Joselu into the area and the Spanish striker put his first-time effort past Mohammad. The home side looked beaten at the interval but halved the deficit on the hour mark to spark a revival. Ousmane Camara was brought down by Seydou Sano’s challenge and, although Ababacar saved Manaj’s penalty, the striker converted the rebound. Two minutes later the teams were level. The Al Gharafa defence made a mess of clearing Coronado’s cross from the right and Camara thumped his shot into the bottom corner from eight yards out. A foul by Shaheen Abdalla on Joselu handed the initiative back to the visitors, the Sharjah captain upending the former Real Madrid forward, who converted the penalty to put his side back in front in the 73rd minute. Ababacar’s clumsy foul on Manaj in the dying minutes saw the goalkeeper handed a red card and Manaj stepped up to thump his free kick home while nine minutes later Coronado claimed the points for Sharjah with a left-foot finish that he slotted past the Amine. Duhail face away test against Hilal Qatar’s Al Duhail will take on Saudi giants Al Hilal in their opening AFC Champions League Elite Tuesday. Duhail, who have only once advanced to the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League, will be determined to throw a spanner in Hilal's bid for the title. The records, however, are not in their favour as Duhail have lost their last three matches against Saudi teams in the competition. Hilal - after their semi-final disappointment last season - can be expected to spare no effort in their bid for a fifth Asian title, which spells danger for Qatar's Duhail. Hilal walked away 7-0 winners the last time the two sides met on the continental stage - in the semi-finals of the 2022 edition - which stretched their unbeaten run against Duhail to six games. Such is their record that Hilal have only lost once at home in 12 meetings against teams from Qatar on the continental stage.

Al Shorta will have to dust off rust when they host Al Sadd SC in their opening AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26 tie Monday.Al Shorta have yet to kick off their Iraqi domestic campaign while reigning Qatar champions Al Sadd will have the benefit of having already played several competitive matches.Both sides endured contrasting fortunes on the continental stage last season - Al Shorta's campaign ended in the League Stage while Al Sadd advanced to the quarter-finals."I'm happy to be in Baghdad, and I hope the match will be enjoyable for the fans," Al Sadd coach Felix Sanchez said Sunday. "We realize the importance of the tournament with its new format."What's most important now is for the players to be in the best possible condition for the match," he added.Al Sadd defender Tarqe Salman said Sunday: "A strong and somewhat a difficult match awaits us against the Shorta. Our loss against Al Shahaniya was a setback (in QSL), but we are capable of getting back on the right track."It will be a first meeting between the sides and the two will be determined to start on the front foot with Al Shorta having never won their opening AFC Champions League match while 2011 champions Al Sadd are winless in their last six curtain raisers.Al Shorta, in fact, only managed a single victory as they finished 11th in the League Stage last season.Al Sadd will be confident of taking the points, having ended a three-season wait by advancing to the knockout stage last season and the mercurial Akram Afif - who was involved in goals in each of his last five AFC Champions League Elite matches - will be expected to lead their charge.Sharjah FC (UAE) v Al Gharafa SCSharjah FC and Al Gharafa SC will target an opening day win when they square off in the AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26 Monday.UAE's Sharjah will be aiming to maintain their momentum from their AFC Champions League Two 2024/25 triumph while Qatar's Al Gharafa will be determined to avoid last season's league stage exit.The sides have kicked off their respective domestic forms relatively well, with Sharjah in the upper half of the standings.Al Gharafa defeated Al Sailiya 2-0 on Friday to sit third in the Qatar Stars League standings and will look forward to a first meeting with Sharjah.The UAE side, who were held 2-2 by Khor Fakkan in their league tie on Friday, will be determined to maximise home ground advantage, with Sharjah having a poor record against teams from Qatar on the continental stage - having only won once in six previous encounters.Al Gharafa will be keen to avoid last season's troubles on the continental stage, where they won only two of their matches to finish 10th in the standings.