MUSCAT: Al Seeb Club secured a well-deserved 5-0 victory over Al Futowa in a match held on Saturday at Al Seeb Sports Stadium, as part of the first round of Group C in the AFC Challenge Cup.
The first half witnessed clear dominance from Al Seeb, who imposed their style of play from the very first minute, relying on the midfield trio’s precise passing to connect the lines of the team. Al Seeb’s offensive efforts intensified, with a notable attempt in the 11th minute when Arshad al Alawi’s powerful shot narrowly missed the left post. Despite Al Seeb’s control, Al Futowa goalkeeper Abdulrahman Boltif excelled in blocking several dangerous attacks, making it difficult for Al Seeb to score early on.
However, Al Seeb broke through in the 32nd minute when Zahir al Aghbari received a perfect pass from Arshad al Alawi and fired a shot that deflected off an Al Futowa defender into the net. In the final minutes of the first half, Abdulrahman al Mushaifri came close to adding a second goal, but Boltif brilliantly saved his effort in the 37th minute. The first half ended with Al Seeb leading 1-0, while Al Futowa's timid attempts posed no real threat to goalkeeper Bilal al Balushi.
The second half started with Al Seeb pressing for more goals, determined to extend their lead. On the other hand, Al Futowa struggled to break out of their defensive zone, relying only on counterattacks that were thwarted by Al Seeb’s alert defence, led by Mohammed al Musallami and Ahmed al Khamisi.
The turning point came in the 65th minute when Moussa Coulibaly committed a rough foul against Abdulaziz al Muqbali, earning a second yellow card followed by a red, reducing Al Futowa to ten men. Al Seeb capitalised on their numerical advantage, taking full control of the game.
In the 73rd minute, Ali al Busaidy doubled Al Seeb’s lead with a powerful shot from outside the box, making it 2-0. Just two minutes later, Zahir al Aghbari added the third goal, exploiting the Syrian defence’s confusion to fire the ball into the net (75').
Al Seeb's relentless attacks continued amidst Al Futowa’s defensive collapse, with Abdulaziz al Muqbali scoring the fourth goal with a precise header in the 78th minute. As the game neared its conclusion, Jameel al Yahmadi capped the scoring spree with a goal from inside the penalty area in the 87th minute, sealing the 5-0 victory.
With this emphatic win, Al Seeb now tops Group C with 3 points, ahead of Bahrain’s Al Ahli and Palestine’s Hilal Al Quds, both with 1 point. Meanwhile, Al Futowa remains at the bottom of the group with no points.
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