The Emirati clubs made a remarkable presence in the fifth round of the AFC Champions League for the elite, after Al-Wahda, Shabab Al-Ahly and Al-Sharjah achieved distinguished results by emerging victorious and obtaining the full mark, which reaffirmed the strength of their continental participation this season.
Al-Wahda snatched the early qualification card to the round of 16, three rounds before the end of the first stage, while Shabab Al-Ahly and Al-Sharjah were close to crossing over, thanks to their rising levels.
The fifth round was a strong boost for the three clubs, in which they achieved the full score of points, with clear indications of an exceptional Asian season that will return the Emirati clubs to the circle of serious competition for the title, which Al Ain won in the season before last.
The fourth round recorded the lowest point tally for the Emirati clubs since the start of the competitions, after the teams collected only three points, following the losses of Shabab Al-Ahly and Al-Sharjah, and only Al-Wahda won.
Al Annabi had the most prominent scene, after it continued its continental brilliance following its return to the tournament after four years of absence, achieving a major victory over Al Sadd of Qatar with a score of (3-1) and officially booking a ticket to the quarter-finals.
Through this achievement, “The Excellencies” regained some of its historical luster, especially since its last participation in 2021 was stopped at the quarter-finals after losing to Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia, while the 2007 edition remains the best in the club’s history when it reached the semi-finals and was knocked out by Sepahan Isfahan.
Al-Wahda presented a more mature version this season, after collecting 13 points from four victories and a draw, without tasting the taste of loss, scoring 10 goals and conceding only four goals, showing defensive solidity and tactical discipline that made it one of the most stable teams in the West Asia group, which is led by Al-Hilal Saudi Arabia with the full mark.
On the other hand, Shabab Al-Ahly regained its strong presence in the tournament, after losing in the last round with a heavy and unexpected result to Al-Duhail of Qatar, four goals to one.
The Dubai Knights showed clear cohesion in the fifth round, and were able to achieve a well-deserved victory over Al-Gharafa of Qatar with a clean double, raising their tally to 10 points and advancing to fifth place, practically putting themselves on the verge of qualification, awaiting confirmation in the remaining three rounds, in which they need three points to advance to the second round.
As for Al-Sharjah, it returned to the competition race again, after it returned from Saudi Arabia with what is considered its most expensive victory in the competition by defeating Al-Ittihad Jeddah, raising its score to seven points from two victories, a draw and two losses, advancing to seventh place after being equal in the same score with Al-Duhail of Qatar, which is in sixth place.
Sharjah went through a period of fluctuation after a good start in the first two rounds, before it entered into what looked like a “technical malaise” during the third and fourth rounds, which affected its results, which prompted the club management to dismiss Serbian coach Milos Milojevic, and appoint Abdul Majeed Al-Nimr as a replacement, in search of restoring stability.
Sharjah achieved the change it wanted, after the team showed a remarkable level under the leadership of its national coach, Abdul Majeed Al-Nimr, which brought the “King” back into the qualification race again, awaiting heavy-caliber confrontations against Al-Hilal, Al-Duhail and Nasaf Karachi in the three remaining matches in the group stage.
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