A defensive error and an arbitral decision knock Shabab Al-Ahly out of the AFC Champions League

The Shabab Al-Ahly team bid farewell to the elite AFC Champions League competitions in the semi-finals, after losing to the Japanese Machida Zelvia team with a goal to no return, in a match that witnessed great excitement and decisive decisions that affected its course until the last moments.

The only goal of the match came early in the 12th minute, after an unexpected defensive error by Shabab Al-Ahly defender Bogdan, exploited by Machida player Yuki Soma, who was alone in the goal and dribbled past goalkeeper Hamad Al-Muqbali before depositing the ball into the net, giving his team the lead.

Shabab Al-Ahly tried to return quickly in the first half, and imposed continuous pressure on the defenses of the Japanese team, and almost achieved an equalizer in the 35th minute through a powerful shot from Quan Santos, but the crossbar deprived the team of an achieved goal, so the first half ended with Machida leading.

In the second half, Shabab Al-Ahly appeared in a more powerful and organized manner, and began to threaten the opponent’s goal from the first minutes, as Bala came close to scoring the equalizer with a strong header that was blocked by the goalkeeper, and Sultan Adel wasted another opportunity after a header that went over the crossbar.

The team continued its intense offensive pressure, and in the 65th minute, Bala was able to score, but the referee canceled the goal due to offside after returning to video technology, so the team continued its quest to adjust the result amid a clear decline from the Japanese team, which relied on counterattacks and wasting time.

Shabab Al-Ahly coach made a number of offensive changes that gave the team a clear advantage, and substitute Mohamed Gomaa almost scored the equalizer after a clear solo, but he did not succeed in translating it into a goal.

In stoppage time, specifically in the 92nd minute, Bala succeeded in scoring the equalizer after a distinguished individual effort and a powerful shot from outside the penalty area, but the referee canceled the goal after returning to video technology, in a decision that sparked a lot of controversy, due to a violation related to the timing of the resumption of play during a substitution for the Japanese team.

Shabab Al-Ahly was unable to return again in the remaining minutes, so the referee blew the final whistle with Machida winning and qualifying for the final match in his first participation, while Shabab Al-Ahly left the tournament after being on the cusp of a new continental achievement.