Al-Wahda excels in “Asia’s elite”… And Al-Ittihad snatches qualification

Al-Wahda team bid farewell to the AFC Champions League for elite football, despite the clear advantage it provided throughout the match, after losing to Al-Ittihad Saudi Arabia with a clean goal in a dramatic confrontation that extended to extra time at Al-Enmaa Stadium in Jeddah, and ended at dawn today, Wednesday, UAE time, in the round of 16 finals.

The loss came with a fatal goal in the 120th + 10th minute by Fabinho from a penalty kick, at a time that seemed harsh to Al-Annabi, which was the party closest to resolving the confrontation, before conceding a goal that dashed all hopes.

Al-Wahda appeared with a strong personality from the beginning, as it succeeded in absorbing the pressure of the home side, before gradually imposing its style, relying on a tight defensive organization and quick offensive transitions that confused Al-Ittihad’s defence, at a time when the latter did not succeed in translating its possession into real, influential opportunities.

Over time, the “Excellent People” imposed their advantage and began repeatedly reaching Al-Ittihad’s goal, in exchange for a relative decline in the Saudi team’s offensive effectiveness.

During the second half, Al-Anabi continued its superiority in terms of organisation, discipline and ability to create opportunities, and almost translated this into a goal in the 51st minute via Christian Benteke, but Uzbek referee Ilgis Tantashev canceled the goal due to a violation on Al-Ittihad goalkeeper Predrag Rajovich, in a controversial decision that deprived Al-Wahda of progress.

During extra time, Al-Wahda maintained its cohesion and maintained its relative advantage, making the match appear to be heading to a penalty shootout, before the decisive moment came with a penalty kick in the 120+10 minute, from which Fabinho scored the winning goal, in a harsh scenario that does not reflect the course of the match.

In the quarter-finals on Friday, Al-Ati will meet the Japanese team Machida Zelvia, who reached this round at the expense of South Korea’s Gangwon.