A controversial arbitration decision deprives Shabab Al-Ahly of the “Champions Final”

The Shabab Al-Ahly team bid farewell to the elite AFC Champions League competitions in the semi-finals, after losing, yesterday, to the Japanese team Machida Zelvia with a goal to none, in a match that witnessed widespread arbitration controversy, depriving the team of the opportunity to reach the continental final, despite the strong performance it presented, especially in the second half.

The only goal of the match came early in the 12th minute, after a defensive error by Shabab Al-Ahly defender Bogdan, which was exploited by Yuki Soma, the Japanese team player, to score the lead goal, which put Shabab Al-Ahly under early pressure throughout the match.

In the first half, Shabab Al-Ahly tried to return to the atmosphere of the match, and imposed its control in many periods, and almost achieved a draw through a strong shot from Quan Santos that hit the crossbar in the 35th minute, ending the half with Machida leading.

With the start of the second half, Shabab Al-Ahly presented one of their best periods in the tournament, as they almost completely controlled the course of play, and succeeded in reaching the opponent’s goal on more than one occasion, amid a clear decline for the Japanese team, which was content with defending and relying on counterattacks.

Bala and Sultan Adel wasted more than one opportunity, and the referee canceled a goal for Shabab Al-Ahly in the 65th minute due to offside, after returning to video technology, in a decision that increased the difficulty of the task of the “Dubai Knights” who continued to press in search of an equalizer.

At the moment when everyone thought that Shabab Al-Ahly had finally succeeded in translating its superiority, after Bala scored the equalizing goal in the 92nd minute, following a distinguished individual effort and a powerful shot from outside the penalty area, the referee returned again to video technology to decide to cancel the goal in a shot that raised many question marks, due to a violation related to the timing of the resumption of play during a substitution for the Japanese team.

The decision came to deprive Shabab Al-Ahly of a deserved goal after a distinguished attacking performance, at a time when the team was the best team and closest to scoring, which sparked a state of anger on the field, especially with the many controversial refereeing decisions during the second half.

The excitement did not stop there, as the referee showed more than 10 colored cards during the second half, before completing the scene by announcing the red card to Shabab Al-Ahly goalkeeper, Hamad Al-Muqbali, after the final whistle, as a result of his objection to the arbitration decisions.

With this result, Machida Zelvia qualified for the final match in his first participation in the tournament, facing the Saudi Al-Ahly team, while Shabab Al-Ahly left the competitions with their heads held high, after being on the cusp of writing a new history.