Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Male: Abdulqader Al Roatde scored a superb solo goal with 13 minutes remaining as Al Tilal of Yemen edged out Maldivian hosts Victory Sports Club 4-3 on Saturday to secure a place in the Group Stage of the AFC Cup as the first ever play-off in the competition served up a seven-goal thriller at the National Stadium.
Al Tilal had taken a 3-1 half-time lead through captain Khaled Baleid, Mohammed Ramzi and Salem Al Omzae, although the dismissal of Nigerian defender Martin Ogisi and a penalty from Victory's Mohamed Umair gave the home side hope.
And after Victory captain Ahmed Shafiu halved the deficit five minutes into the second half, Umair again converted from the spot nine minutes later to pull the home side level.
But the visitors responded and Al Roatde netted the seventh goal of an intriguing contest in the 77th minnute as Al Tilal secured a place in Group E alongside Syria's Al Shorta, Al Safa of Lebanon and Iraqi side Al Zawra'a.
"Our players worked hard and the determination of the players was superb," said Al Tilal coach Nooradin Mohammed Abdulghani.
"We travelled far and did not want to go home empty handed. Both teams played an attacking game and it was fascinating for the spectators."
Seeking a fifth appearance in the Group Stage of the AFC Cup, Victory started brightly and Hassan Adhuham threated for the home side in a tight opening quarter.
But after 23 minutes the visitors took the lead as Baleid converted from the penalty spot following a foul by Victory goalkeeper Mohamed Faisal.
And Al Tilal doubled their advantage after 32 minutes as Ramzi capitalised on an error from Victory substitute goalkeeper Mohamed Nishah, who had replaced the injured Faisal prior to the penalty.
The home side, though, were handed a way back into the contest as Ogisi was shown a straight red card following a handball inside the penalty area and Umair made no mistake from the spot nine minutes before the break.
But in the second minute of stoppage time Al Omzae took advantage of miscommunication in the Victory defence to restore the two goal cushion at half-time.
With 45 minutes left to save their AFC Cup campaign, the home side pulled a goal back five minutes into the second half through a header from captain Shafiu.
And the home side completed the spirited fightback as Umair converted his second penalty of the contest a minute before the hour mark to set up a thrilling climax to the winner takes all play-off.
But with 13 minutes remaining, Al Roatde beat three Victory SC defenders before beating Nishah and sending Al Tilal into the Group Stage of the AFC Cup for a third time.
"Our supporters and financers really hoped to qualify for the AFC Cup, but we are ashamed of the result and the performance of the players. We should have had a better game," said Victory coach Ali Suzain, who revealed first-choice goalkeeper Faisal is set to require surgery after suffering a broken leg.
"Our boys played very badly. If we rank our performance, we would be in fourth or fifth position in the league based on it. Now we have lots of work to do. It is an eye opener for us. We need to improve our game and work very hard."