Al Duhail First Football Team suffered a 1-0 defeat to their Emirati counterparts, Al Wahda, in the Qatar-UAE Super Cup Challenge Shield. The match took place at Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Starting Lineup
Al Duhail started the match with the following XI:
(1) Salah Zakaria (GK), (6) Marco Verratti, (8) Edmilson Junior, (9) Krzysztof Piątek, (12) Karim Boudiaf, (17) Youssouf Sabaly, (18) Sultan Al Brake, (19) Benjamin Bourigeaud, (21) Jean-Charles Castelletto, (22) Ibrahima Bamba, (77) Adil Boulbina.
Match Highlights
- 6th Minute: Al Duhail players appealed for a penalty after Krzysztof Piątek went down inside the box, but the referee waved play on.
- 10th Minute: A major turning point as Al Duhail goalkeeper Salah Zakaria was sent off for fouling Al Wahda forward Omar Khribin. To compensate for the red card, Bautista Burke was brought on to replace Edmilson Junior.
- 29th Minute: Goal for Al Wahda. Omar Khribin converted from the penalty spot to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
- 35th–40th Minute: Despite being a man down, Al Duhail pushed forward. Adil Boulbina led a dangerous counter-attack, and Youssouf Sabaly attempted a long-range shot. In the 40th minute, a brilliant passing sequence ended with a powerful strike from Boulbina, which was heroically saved by Al Wahda goalkeeper.
- 44th Minute: Boulbina nearly equalized on another organized counter-attack, but Al Wahda keeper intercepted the play just in time.
- 58th Minute: A dangerous cross from Sabaly flashed across the face of an empty goal with no one there to tap it in.
- 74th–83rd Minute: Adil Boulbina remained the primary threat. He set up Piątek, whose shot hit the side netting, and later forced a difficult corner save from the keeper with a stinging effort in the 83rd minute.
- Stoppage Time (90+4′): Drama at the end. Adil Boulbina finally found the back of the net for the equalizer. However, after a VAR review, the referee disallowed the goal, ruling that Boulbina had committed a foul on an Al Wahda defender before scoring.
Final Result
Despite relentless attempts in the closing minutes, Al Duhail could not find the equalizer. The referee blew the final whistle, confirming a 1-0 victory for Al Wahda.
