Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Amman: Al Jazeera moved to the top of Group B of the 2015 AFC Cup on Tuesday night when Fadi Al Natour scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Al Hidd from Bahrain at King Abdullah International Stadium.
The win moved the Jordanians a point clear of Al Shorta, who were beaten earlier in the day by Wad Al Ness, who are level on five points with the second-placed Iraqis, with Al Hidd rooted to the bottom of the standings.
“We knew that the match would be very important and we needed to win, especially because we were playing at home,” said Al Jazeera coach Issa Al Turk.
“We controlled the match and we had some chances but we only scored late in the match.
“We continued our dominance after taking the lead and we avoided any mistakes in order to get the three points. We are now at the top of the group and hopefully we can get a big push in order to qualify for the knockout stage.”
Al Natour found the back of the net 15 minutes from time in a game the home side dominated but in which they were frustrated by their own inability to create clear cut chances.
It took until the 73rd minute for Al Jazeera to force Al Hidd goalkeeper Abbas Ahmed into action, when Loiy Emran’s effort from closer range was turned away to safety.
Just two minutes later, however, Al Jazeera took the lead when Al Natour latched on to a long ball forward before scoring with a shot from an acute angle that Ahmed could do little to stop.
Al Jazeera, who are the only unbeaten team remaining in the group, host Wad Al Ness in the next round of group matches on April 29, where a second win in the competition would put them on the verge of advancing to the Round of 16.
Photo: WSG