Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Amman: Alban Meha’s early strike was enough for Al Faisaly to see off Lebanon’s Al Ansar 1-0 and book their place in the Zonal Semi-Finals of the 2018 AFC Cup on Monday.
The two-time AFC Cup champions dominated play from start to finish in front of a full crowd, but Al Ansar could have been in front inside the opening 10 minutes when Abbas Atwi’s powerful long-range strike was rescued by Moataz Yaseen’s flying save.
Al Faisaly’s dominance was translated into a win courtesy of Meha’s 15th minute left-footed effort from outside the box. The Kosovar’s shot nestled into the bottom corner leaving goalkeeper Rabea El Kakhi helpless.
Meha was the creative force and nearly doubled the Jordanians’ lead in the 70th minute, but his angled free-kick was pushed away by the goalkeeper.
Two minutes later, Youssef Al Rawashdeh went for the spectacular, firing on the volley from 30 yards out. The midfielder’s attempt lobbed El Kakhi but cannoned off the crossbar to Al Ansar’s relief as the damage was limited to a single goal.
The result confirmed Al Faisaly’s place at the top of Group C with 13 points, while Al Ansar’s tally stopped at seven points, meaning they have been eliminated from the competition.