Analysis: Air Force Club fail to fire as Al Wahda edge defending AFC Cup champs

Al Wahda's defence had stood firm for most of the match in the face of sustained pressure from Air Force Club, before going on to concede a late goal that could prove to be crucial in the second leg in Doha.

Air Force unable to use possession

The match saw Air Force Club dominate possession but the Iraqi side were unable to utilize it properly. As you can see in the image (below), the visitors enjoyed 67.3% of the overall possession while Al Wahda were happy to sit back and concede the ball, having taken an early lead.

In the final 30 minutes of the match, near to 40% of the action was played in the Al Wahda half as Air Force Club went on the offensive to force a breakthrough.

Air Force Club racked up 447 passes with an accuracy of 78.7%, as opposed to Al Wahda, who could only complete 54.6% of their 216 passes. Air Force midfielder Saif Al Mohammedawi was the pick of the bunch with 77 passes and an accuracy rate of 90.9%.

For all of the passing and midfield domination, Air Force Club did not succeed in effectively translating it to goals and instead, their lone goal came off a long ball which forced a defensive mistake from Al Wahda defender Shuaib Al Ali.

Omari shines in free role

Al Wahda's Osama Omari made the difference for his side, grabbing both assists. The 25-year old started the match in the left side of the two-man attack also featuring Anas Bouta.

However, he went on to drift off to a free role throughout the match and it was from the right wing that he created the first goal with skillful dribbling in the second minute itself. It was also on the right that Omari won the free-kick with which he assisted Hadi Al Masri for the second goal.

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Air Force unable to use possession

The match saw Air Force\u00a0Club\u00a0dominate possession but the Iraqi side were unable to utilize it properly. As you can see in the image (below), the visitors enjoyed 67.3% of the overall possession while Al Wahda were happy to sit back and\u00a0concede the\u00a0ball, having taken an early lead.

In the final 30 minutes of the match,\u00a0near to\u00a040% of the action was played in the Al Wahda half as Air Force\u00a0Club\u00a0went on the offensive to force a breakthrough.

Air Force\u00a0Club\u00a0racked up 447 passes with an accuracy of 78.7%, as opposed to Al Wahda, who could only complete 54.6% of their 216 passes. Air Force midfielder Saif Al Mohammedawi was the pick of the bunch with 77 passes and an accuracy rate of 90.9%.

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For all of the passing and midfield domination, Air Force\u00a0Club\u00a0did not succeed in effectively translating it to goals and instead, their lone goal came off a long ball which forced a defensive mistake from Al Wahda defender Shuaib Al Ali.

Omari shines in free role

Al Wahda's Osama Omari made the difference for his side, grabbing both assists. The 25-year old started the match in the left side of the two-man attack also featuring Anas Bouta.

", "headline": "Analysis: Air Force Club fail to fire as Al Wahda edge defending AFC Cup champs", "description": "Saida: Syria's Al Wahda clinched the first leg of the inaugural AFC Cup West Asia Zonal final with a narrow 2-1 win over Air Force Club of Iraq.\r\n", "author": { "@type": "Organization", "url": "https://www.the-afc.com/", "name": "the AFC" }, "image": "https://assets.the-afc.com/migration/k/u/kuaf1mgu7dwohrl4dlho.jpg", "isAccessibleForFree": true, "datePublished": "2017-09-15", "url": "www.the-afc.com/en/club/afc_cup/news/analysis_air_force_club_fail_to_fire_as_al_wahda_edge_defending_afc_cup_champs.html" }