MUSCAT: In a thrilling encounter held at Sheikh Ali bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Stadium, Al Nahda Club secured their spot in the prestigious AFC Cup 2023-2024 group stage after a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Bahrain's Al Khalidiya. This win came during the preliminary round of the competition.
From the opening moments, Al Nahda demonstrated their prowess through the strategic formation and gameplay, seizing control of the midfield and artfully maintaining possession. The breakthrough came in the seventh minute when Salah al Yahyai's exquisite pass found Omar al Maliki, who then deftly set up Essam al Subhi to clinically slot the ball past Al Khalidiya's goalkeeper Ammar Mohammad. This brilliant opening goal set the tone for Al Nahda's ascendancy in the match, and they managed to preserve their lead until half-time.
The second half saw Al Khalidiya launching a spirited offensive to level the score, creating several opportunities that were brilliantly thwarted by Al Nahda goalkeeper Ibrahim al Mukhaini. Al Nahda, however, was not to be contained, with Salah al Yahyai setting the stage for Omar al Maliki's goal in the 55th minute, extending their lead to 2-0.
Al Khalidiya displayed their determination with Ismail Abdel-Latif's goal in the 69th minute, but Samir al Sunaidi's successful strike in the 77th minute widened the gap in favour of Al Nahda. Although Al Khalidiya managed a late goal by defender Sedina Sabo in the 84th minute, it
wasn't enough to alter the outcome.
With this victory Al Nahda Club moved into the AFC Cup group stage, marking their fifth appearance in the competition.
Looking forward, the official draw for the group stage will take place at the Asian Football Confederation's headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday, heralding the commencement of the 2023-2024 AFC Cup.
The 19th edition of this tournament, now held in an autumn-to-spring format, will feature 36 clubs from across the five AFC regions, competing across nine groups. Match-ups are slated to unfold from September 2023 to May 2024.
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