Amman — Al-Faisaly paid the price for its defensive errors, suffering a 2–0 defeat to Saudi visitors Al-Taawoun in their match on Wednesday evening at Amman International Stadium. The match was part of the third round of Group C in the AFC Champions League Two, attended by 8,087 fans.
اضافة اعلان
Al-Taawoun secured the victory in the second half after Ivorian player Parfait Guiagon opened the scoring in the 52nd minute, before Fares Al-Ghamdi extended the Saudi side’s lead with a second goal in the 77th minute.
Al-Faisaly suffered its second defeat in the competition, leaving it on three points in third place and reducing its chances of securing one of the two qualification spots for the Round of 16.
Al-Faisaly goalkeeping coach Amer Shafi was sent off at halftime following repeated protests against the referee’s decisions, forcing him to watch the second half from the stands.
In the other Group C match, Qatar’s Al-Rayyan secured a commanding 4–1 victory away to Oman’s Al-Nahda. Al-Taawoun leads the group with seven points, followed by Al-Rayyan with six, while Al-Faisaly remains third with three points.
Al-Faisaly will travel to face Al-Taawoun next Wednesday at Al-Taawoun Club Stadium in Buraidah at 9:15 p.m. The fourth-round match is particularly important for the Amman-based side, which will need a positive result to keep its qualification hopes alive.
Al-Faisaly 0, Al-Taawoun 2
Al-Faisaly head coach Tarek Mostafa made several changes to his lineup compared with the previous match. Abdullah Al-Fakhouri started in goal, with Ihsan Haddad, Saeedou Simbore, Hossam Abu Al-Dhahab and Anas Badawi in defense, alongside Ghaith Al-Madadheh, Jean Ahwa, Nour Al-Din Al-Rawabdeh, Anas Al-Awadat, Ahmad Al-Ersan and Claudio Maradona.
Meanwhile, Al-Taawoun head coach Vuk Rašović began the match with Mailson, Mohammed Al-Saeedi, Nasser Al-Halil, Zineddine Belaid, Ibrahim Mahnashi, Marin Petkov, Fares Al-Ghamdi, Rakan Al-Tulaihi, Ashraf Al-Mahdioui, Nedim Bajrami and Younes Al-Bahrawi.
In the second minute, Al-Faisaly goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Fakhouri sustained an injury that required medical staff to enter the pitch. He received treatment and was able to continue playing.
Al-Faisaly enjoyed greater possession in the opening minutes and sought to reach Al-Taawoun’s goal early. Its first dangerous opportunity came in the 11th minute, when Claudio Maradona rose to meet a cross with a header that went just wide of the goal.
The home side continued to apply pressure, and Anas Al-Awadat had a valuable opportunity in the 22nd minute after breaking through on goal and firing a powerful shot toward the near corner. However, goalkeeper Mailson produced an excellent save to keep the ball out.
Protests by Al-Faisaly players over several refereeing decisions prompted Emirati referee Ahmed Darwish to issue yellow cards to Hossam Abu Al-Dhahab and Ahmad Al-Ersan.
Al-Faisaly suffered a setback in the 36th minute when Al-Awadat was injured and had to leave the pitch. Majdi Attar came on in his place. The first half ended goalless, despite Al-Faisaly’s relative superiority.
At the start of the second half, Rašović made an attacking substitution, bringing on Ivorian Parfait Guiagon, who did not take long to make his mark on the match.
In the 52nd minute, Guiagon received a pass from teammate Nedim Bajrami on the edge of the penalty area before striking a well-placed left-footed shot into the right side of the net, putting Al-Taawoun ahead 1–0.
Al-Faisaly tried to respond quickly, and Maradona came close to equalizing in the 59th minute with a deceptive effort from the right that struck the upper part of the crossbar.
Al-Taawoun responded with a dangerous attempt two minutes later, when Guiagon fired a shot from inside the penalty area that went just wide of Al-Fakhouri’s goal. The Jordanian goalkeeper then produced another fine save in the 63rd minute, stopping an attempt by Younes Al-Bahrawi and turning the ball behind for a corner.
Mostafa sought to strengthen his attack by bringing on Wasim Ryalat and Malek Allan, hoping to increase the pressure on Al-Taawoun’s defense and find an equalizer.
However, Al-Faisaly suffered another setback in the 77th minute when Nour Al-Din Al-Rawabdeh miscontrolled the ball in midfield. Al-Bahrawi seized the opportunity and advanced toward Al-Faisaly’s goal, taking advantage of the space behind the defense before passing to Fares Al-Ghamdi, who finished into the net to make it 2–0 for the visitors.
After the goal, Mostafa introduced Ahmad Abdulrabbeh and Rizq Bani Hani in an attempt to reduce the deficit and bring his team back into the match. However, Al-Faisaly’s attacks lacked the finishing touch.
Ryalat tried his luck with a long-range shot that failed to produce a goal, before Al-Ersan took a direct free kick that struck the crossbar, denying Al-Faisaly a chance to narrow the gap.
The home side continued to push forward in the closing minutes but could not change the scoreline, as Al-Taawoun claimed a valuable victory that strengthened its position at the top of the group.
