Sharjah returned from the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, with a valuable 1-0 victory over its counterpart, Esteghlal, during the match that brought the two teams together the day before yesterday, in the first round of Group Three in the group stage of the AFC Champions League for Clubs 2, so that Sharjah collected the first three points in its continental journey.
Despite the strength of the Tajik team, which includes in its ranks a group of the most distinguished players, in addition to the fact that it played the match on its home ground and among its fans, Sharjah succeeded in overcoming the difficult circumstances it faced, as it played for the first time on artificial turf, in addition to losing influential elements in its ranks due to suspensions and injuries, including the main goalkeeper Adel Al Hosani, and each of Majid Rashid, Al Hassan Saleh and Khaled Bawazir.
Four technical reasons led Sharjah to this victory, most notably the playing style followed by Romanian coach Olario Cosmin, and the interventions he made at the right time, especially the introduction of player Firas Balarabi in the second half, who in turn succeeded in scoring the only goal of the match, and the good reading of the course of the game throughout the two halves of the match, in addition to the brilliance of the young goalkeeper Khaled Tawhid (20 years old), as well as the high morale among the players, their desire to achieve victory, and the great harmony between the team’s lines, especially in the front line through the understanding between the players Luan Pereira, Caio Lucas and Osman Camara.
In the same group, Al-Wehdat of Jordan defeated Sepahan of Iran by two goals to one, as Al-Wehdat topped the group standings with three points, on goal difference from Sharjah, which came in second place, while Sepahan of Iran and Istiklol of Tajikistan came in third and fourth place, respectively.
Ali Thani: The match revealed Sharjah’s readiness despite its difficulty
Member of Sharjah Football Company, Head of the Technical Committee and former international player Ali Thani described the match as difficult against a strong competitor, but despite that the team achieved an important victory, pointing out that the match revealed the team’s readiness.
Ali Thani said in media statements after the match: “The AFC Champions League 2 is no less than the Asian Elite Clubs Championship,” stressing that Sharjah will take each match in this tournament separately. In turn, Sharjah defender Khalid Al Dhanhani confirmed after the match that the players were able to deal with the match well, despite playing on artificial turf for the first time, pointing out that the main goal of the Sharjah team was to win the three points, and it was achieved, stressing that the players played a great match.
4 technical reasons
1 Cosmin’s style of play, his timely interventions and his good reading of the game.
2- Substitute player Al-Arabi was brought on in the second half, and he succeeded in scoring the match’s goal.
3 Young goalkeeper Khaled Tawhid shone in the absence of first-choice goalkeeper Adel Al Hosani.
4. High morale, great harmony among the players and their desire to win.
Group 3 standings after first round
1- Al-Wehdat of Jordan – 3 points.
2- Sharjah, UAE – 3 points.
3- Sepahan of Iran – No credit.
4- Tajik independence – no credit.
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