Almoez stars as Al Duhail begin Gulf campaign on flying note

Doha, Qatar: Almoez Ali scored twice as Al Duhail began their Gulf Club Champions League campaign with a convincing 3-0 victory over Oman’s Al Shabab SC in their opening Group A match at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium yesterday.

Having missed out on the AFC Champions League Elite this season, Al Duhail have turned their attention to the regional competition, with coach Djamel Belmadi stressing before the match that his side would approach the tournament seriously and aim to go as far as possible.

Almoez underlined that ambition with a goal in each half, while Sekou Oumar Yansane added a third in the closing stages to give the Qatar Stars League side a winning start.

“We played well in both the first and second halves; we need to keep this up and perform at our best to go as far as possible in this tournament,” Almoez said after the match.

Al Duhail made an early statement, taking the lead in the seventh minute through a well-worked move down the right.

Tahsin Jamshed beat a defender with a skilful run before cutting the ball back for Almoez, whose shot from the centre of the box found the net despite taking a touch off Al Shabab goalkeeper Majdi Al-Ajmi.

The early goal gave the hosts a platform to build on, and they doubled their advantage shortly after the break. In the 51st minute, Almoez finished from an acute angle on the left after receiving a headed pass from Boubakary Soumare, leaving Al Shabab with a two-goal deficit to overcome.

Yansane completed the scoring in the 77th minute, showing his skill to work an opening before firing a low shot through three defenders and past the goalkeeper.

Al Shabab managed two shots on target but could not turn their opportunities into goals, leaving the visitors to rue their missed chances despite their efforts.

“I would say it was hard luck for us,” Al Shabab’s Khalid Al-Braiki said.

“We played a great match; perhaps minor details or experience made the difference on the pitch. That final touch in front of goal could have changed the outcome for us, but such is football, experience plays a role,” he added.

The victory puts Al Duhail second in Group A, behind Saudi Arabia’s Neom on goal difference. They will next face Yemen’s Shaab Hadramaut SC on October 28 as they continue their bid to progress in the competition.

On Tuesday, Qatar SC opened their Group B campaign with a 1-1 draw against Iraq’s Al Zawraa