Al Duhail First Football Team suffered a 3-2 defeat to the Irqi Side Al Shorta in the eighth and final round of the league stage of the AFC Champions League Elite. The match took place in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

Starting Lineup
Led by coach Djamel Belmadi, Al Duhail entered the match with the following starting XI:

Goalkeeper: Salah Zakaria (1)

Defense: Yousef Ayman (4), Bassam Al Rawi (5), Jean Castelletto (21), Sultan Al Brake (18)

Midfield: Benjamin Bourigeaud (19), Ibrahima Bamba (25), Mubarak Shanan (25), Boubakary Soumaré (34)

Attack: Edmilson Junior (8), Krzysztof Piątek (9), Adil Boulbina (77)

Match Highlights
Early Lead: Al Duhail opened the scoring early in the 10th minute thanks to a spectacular bicycle kick by Krzysztof Piątek, which found the back of the net to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

Equalizer: In the 19th minute, Al Shorta player Bassam Shakir scored the equalizer, bringing the score to 1-1.

Regaining Control: Just before the end of the first half, Benjamin Bourigeaud won a penalty for Al Duhail following a VAR review. Bourigeaud successfully converted the spot-kick in the third minute of first-half stoppage time (45+3′), putting Al Duhail ahead 2-1 at the break.

The Turning Point
The second half saw a dramatic shift in the 57th minute when Al Shorta managed to equalize through Bouly Sambou. Just one minute later, Sambou struck again to complete a quick-fire brace, giving the Iraqi side a 3-2 lead.

Late Drama
88th Minute: Substitute Rashid Al Abdullah made a swift run and nearly equalized, but his shot was stopped by Al Shorta goalkeeper.

Stoppage Time: In the sixth and final minute of injury time, Piątek came agonizingly close to scoring his second, but his effort struck the left post. This proved to be the final chance of the match before the referee blew the whistle to confirm a 3-2 victory for Al Shorta.

Current Standing
With this result, Al Duhail tally remains at 8 points, placing them in seventh position. The team now awaits the remaining results of the eighth round to determine their final ranking in the competition.