Al-Hussein Irbid and Al-Wehdat recorded their first victories of the Jordan Professional League season in the fourth round, following three rounds without a win. The turnaround came after both clubs appointed new coaches during the recent league break.
اضافة اعلان
The round saw Al-Baqa’a defeat Shabab Al-Ordon 3–0, Al-Hussein Irbid beat Al-Arabi 4–1, Al-Wehdat overcome Al-Jazeera 1–0, Al-Ramtha draw 0–0 with Daqra, and Al-Faisaly defeat Al-Salt 1–0.
Al-Ghad reviews the main highlights of the fourth round, which produced 10 goals, taking the tournament total to 40 goals in 20 matches, an average of two goals per game.
Al-Nahhas and Torres make winning starts
After Al-Wehdat and Al-Hussein Irbid collected just two points apiece in the first three rounds, their administrations appointed foreign coaches following the dismissals of Wasim Al-Buzour and Ahmad Hayel. Egyptian coach Emad Al-Nahhas and Spaniard Curro Torres subsequently led their teams to their first league victories of the season.
Referee Adham Makhadmeh speaks with Al-Wehdat player Fadi Awad. (Photo: Amjad Al-Taweel)
Al-Wehdat’s victory over Al-Jazeera was not convincing from a technical standpoint, and fans expressed dissatisfaction with the team’s performance after the match. Nevertheless, the new coach and his players restored hope of competing for the upper places in the standings after a start that fell short of the expectations of the “Green” team’s supporters.
Striker Ahmad Sabra proved decisive, scoring Al-Wehdat’s only goal and justifying the confidence shown in him by Al-Nahhas, who handed him his first start of the season.
Meanwhile, Torres guided Al-Hussein to a comfortable victory despite following the match from the stands, as he had not yet been officially registered with the team at the Jordan Football Association.
The victory was driven by an outstanding performance from Kenyan striker Masoud Juma, who made his first start and scored two of his team’s four goals.
Al-Hussein deserved its emphatic win, which could have been even more comprehensive had the players made better use of their chances. More importantly, the team secured its first league victory before travelling to Oman to face Al-Seeb in its second match in the AFC Champions League Two.
Important victories
Although Al-Faisaly did not deliver the expected level of performance, the team relied on its players’ experience and determination to remain alone at the top of the standings, overcoming Al-Salt with a late winner from Ahmad Al-Ersan. The top scorer in last season’s Professional League continued to play the role of saviour in decisive moments.
Al-Salt delivered a strong performance, but Al-Faisaly goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Fakhouri’s brilliance, combined with the visitors’ missed chances throughout both halves, denied them a goal. Al-Faisaly therefore maintained its clean sheet for the fourth consecutive match and heads into its Asian fixture against Oman’s Al-Nahda with renewed confidence.
In the match between Al-Baqa’a and Shabab Al-Ordon, young substitute striker Abdulrahman Jarwan stole the spotlight by scoring twice to lead his team to a convincing victory and third place in the standings.
Baqa’a goalkeeper Malik Shalabi saves a penalty against Shabab Al-Ordon.
Baqa’a goalkeeper Malik Shalabi’s save from a Shabab Al-Ordon penalty in the opening minutes of the second half proved a turning point, paving the way for his team’s 3–0 victory.
In another match, Al-Ramtha failed to capitalise on Daqra’s numerical disadvantage from the end of the first half, dropping two valuable points that could have strengthened its position ahead of its upcoming clash with Al-Faisaly.
Newcomers Daqra, meanwhile, secured an important point under coach Ahmad Abdulqader, improving their position in the standings after a difficult start to the competition.
VAR sparks controversy
Several refereeing decisions during the fourth round surprised fans and observers and drew criticism of the officials’ performances, despite the use of video assistant referee (VAR) technology. Several incidents were considered controversial by viewers.
One of the most prominent incidents was the disallowed goal by Al-Faisaly striker Claudio Maradona against Al-Salt in the 47th minute. Television footage appeared to show the Brazilian striker in an onside position when his teammate Anas Al-Awadat passed the ball. However, the goal was ruled out following a decision by the VAR room, without the match referee returning to the pitchside monitor to review the incident.
During the Al-Wehdat–Al-Jazeera match, Al-Wehdat player Pape Diop suffered a serious mouth injury that required 12 stitches after colliding with Al-Jazeera goalkeeper Qais Abbasi outside the penalty area.
Referee Adham Makhadmeh awarded a foul in favour of the goalkeeper. However, television replays appeared to show the Al-Wehdat striker reaching the ball before Abbasi, prompting protests over the decision and calls for a foul to be awarded against the goalkeeper and a red card to be issued.
Questions were also raised over Al-Hussein Irbid’s fourth goal against Al-Arabi. Television footage and replays did not conclusively establish Abdullah Naseeb “Diara’s” position when he became involved in the attacking move before passing to teammate Bryan Riascos, in an incident that appeared to leave open the possibility of offside.
Notes and behind-the-scenes highlights
Baqa’a goalkeeper Malik Shalabi became the first goalkeeper to save a penalty in this season’s Professional League after denying Shabab Al-Ordon striker Khaldoun Sabra. His save ended a run of four previous penalties that no goalkeeper had managed to stop.
Daqra player Ahmad Tanous was sent off against Al-Ramtha, bringing the total number of red cards in the competition to four. The other players sent off were Yousef Hassan of Al-Ramtha, Ahmad Assaf of Al-Hussein, and Mohammad Al-Kloub of Al-Baqa’a.
Al-Hussein Irbid right-back Adham Al-Qurashi returned to action against Al-Arabi after a 10-month absence due to injury. He was the only player booked in the match, receiving a yellow card just four minutes after coming on as a substitute.
Referees issued 12 yellow cards during the fourth round, bringing the competition total to 68.
Baqa’a striker Abdulrahman Jarwan became the only player to score twice after coming on as a substitute in a match this season. He entered the game in the 64th minute and scored in the 83rd and 88th minutes.
Al-Faisaly player Ahmad Al-Ersan scored the latest goal of the season so far, netting the winner against Al-Salt at 96 minutes and 13 seconds.
Fans praised Al-Hussein defender Abdullah Naseeb “Diara” for handing the captain’s armband to teammate Adham Al-Qurashi after he entered the match, honouring his return following a lengthy injury absence.
Al-Faisaly is the only team yet to concede a goal after four rounds. Al-Wehdat, Al-Ramtha and Al-Baqa’a have each kept clean sheets in three matches.
Top scorers
Shabab Al-Ordon’s Saul Castro, Al-Jazeera’s Ahmad Al-Harahsheh and Al-Faisaly’s Ahmad Al-Ersan share the top spot in the scoring charts, with three goals each.
The following players have scored two goals each: Nour Al-Din Al-Rawabdeh (Al-Faisaly), Abdulrahman Jarwan (Al-Baqa’a), Aref Al-Haj and Masoud Juma (Al-Hussein), Suleiman Babayoundi (Al-Salt), and Alfousaini Gassama (Al-Ramtha).
The following players have scored one goal each: Ahmad Abdulrabbeh and Majdi Attar (Al-Faisaly); Ahmad Sabra (Al-Wehdat); Abdulrahman Al-Drayseh (Al-Ramtha); Al-Mu’tasim Billah Al-Zoubi and Mohammad Al-Aksh (Al-Baqa’a); Yaseen Al-Kaakoury, Yaseen Al-Bakhit and Rashid Shawahneh (Al-Jazeera); Fares Ghatasha and Hamza Al-Saifi (Daqra); Bryan Riascos, Abdullah Naseeb “Diara” and Yousef Abu Al-Jazar (Al-Hussein); Adham Al-Rifai and Michael Osiedo (Shabab Al-Ordon); Mohammad Al-Razam and Ahmad Al-Shdaifat (Al-Arabi); and Khaled Issam (Al-Salt).
Fifth-round fixtures
Thursday
Al-Arabi vs. Shabab Al-Ordon — 6:00 p.m., Al-Salt Stadium
Friday
Daqra vs. Al-Jazeera — 5:00 p.m., Al-Salt Stadium
Al-Baqa’a vs. Al-Salt — 7:30 p.m., King Abdullah II Stadium
Saturday
Al-Faisaly vs. Al-Ramtha — 5:00 p.m., Amman International Stadium
Al-Wehdat vs. Al-Hussein Irbid — 7:30 p.m., King Abdullah II Stadium
Resource: Al-Ghad. Reporting: Muhannad Juwailis
