 |
| Toufic Ali the villain once again. |
Shabab Al-Khaleel fell to a 1-0 defeat to Al-Ahed in the first leg preliminary playoff of the Arab Club Championship.
The host’s 53rd goal came courtesy of a Toufic Ali blunder who spilled an innocuous ball into the path of Mohammed Kdouh. A mixup between Muamin Eghbarieh and Ali allowed the Al-Ahed to slot home for the 1-0 advantage.
Shabab Al-Khaleel were given a lifeline when Mahdi Fhas was sent off in the 68th minute.
In the absence of national team players Ashraf Nu’man, Alexis Norambuena, and Pablo Tamburrini Shabab could not mount a serious threat on goal despite their numerical advantage.
The encounter now shifts to the return leg which will be held in Amman due to Al-Ahed refusal to travel to Palestine on political grounds. That match is slated for next Thursday, January 12th.
