Analysis: Al Wahda's Defensive Approach Costs Them Dearly

The Syrian side came into the second leg of the West Asia zonal final with a 2-1 advantage but coach Raafat Muhammad's disciplined defensive approach came just short against Air Force Club's attacking prowess.

Al Wahda's defensive approach almost pays off

As they did in the first leg, Al Wahda were happy to sit back and let Air Force Club enjoy more of the ball.

The Iraqis dominated possession and at the end of the game, had 65.7 percent of the possession with a passing accuracy of 78.7 percent.

The Syrian side made a few attacking inroads in the first half, notably winning a penalty early on, but they gradually retreated to a a more passive style in the second half.

Before conceding the decisive goal in injury time, Al Wahda looked capable of holding on to the clean sheet and going through to the final.

Centre-back partners Ali Diab and Hadi Al Masri were kept busy but remained resilient.

The duo rarely ventured out of position and did not dive into tackles that could have left them off balance.

However, the resistance was broken by an uncharacteristic loss of focus as they failed to mark the oncoming Radhi, who was allowed to rise and head in the winner with ease.

Small details change the game

Coach Rafaat Muhammad will have certainly been left wondering whether his side could have forced a different result had they not been overtly conservative in the second half.

Striker Osama Omari and winger Mohammed Hamadkou were active and looked threatening on the left flank early on and could have given Air Force Club's defence more to do had they kept going.

Instead, their influence faded in the second half (see heatmap below), which coincided with Air Force piling more pressure on Al Wahda.

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Al Wahda's defensive approach almost pays off

As they did in the first leg, Al Wahda were happy to sit back and let Air Force Club enjoy more of the ball.

The Iraqis dominated possession and at the end of the game, had 65.7 percent of the possession with a passing accuracy of 78.7 percent.

The Syrian side made a few attacking inroads in the first half, notably winning a penalty early on, but they gradually retreated to a a more passive style in the second half.

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Before conceding the decisive goal in injury time, Al Wahda looked capable of holding on to the clean sheet and going through to the final.

Centre-back partners Ali Diab and Hadi Al Masri were kept busy but remained resilient.

The duo rarely ventured out of position and did not dive into tackles that could have left them off balance.

However, the resistance was broken by an uncharacteristic loss of focus as they failed to mark the oncoming Radhi, who was allowed to rise and head in the winner with ease.

Small details change the game

Coach Rafaat Muhammad will have certainly been left wondering whether his side could have forced a different result had they not been overtly conservative in the second half.

Striker Osama Omari and winger Mohammed Hamadkou were active and looked threatening on the left flank early on and could have given Air Force Club's defence more to do had they kept going.

Instead, their influence faded in the second half (see heatmap below), which coincided with Air Force piling more pressure on Al Wahda.

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