AFC Cup: Al Ahed 5-3 VB Addu FC
afc, feature, maldives 10:13
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| Cengiz Huseyn scored twice against Al Ahed Beirut –Lebanon: Lebanese Cup holders Al Ahed got goals from five different players as they made a winning start in the AFC Cup with a 5-3 victory over Maldives side VB Addu at Sports City Stadium on Wednesday. Hassan Chaito , Khallil Moustapha, Hussein Dakik, Abbas Atwi and Ahmad Zreik all scored for the hosts who could even afford a missed penalty as they stormed into a three-goal lead. However, they had to withstand a fightback in the second half by the visitors, who got a brace from Huseyn Cengiz and an own goal by Alexandre Tateosian. The victory was not enough to put Al Ahed on top of Group C though as Al Ettifaq's 5-1 victory at Kuwait SC earlier in the evening sent the Saudi side into first place on goal difference. The home side took the lead in the 29th minute when Chaito went past three VB defenders before launching a powerful shot from outside the box which sailed into the right corner of the net past the despairing dive of goalkeeper Abdulla Ziyazan. They extended their lead just three minutes later as Ivorian striker Moustapha capitalised on a defensive error to tuck away a loose ball from close range. Ziyazan then gave away a penalty for a foul on Moustapha but the VB goalkeeper redeemed himself by turning Zreik's spot kick against the left upright. But Al Ahed would get a third nine minutes into the second half. A cross from the left by Atwi picked out to Dakik, who headed home the ball into the net. However, VB would cut the deficit shortly afterwards through a Cengiz free-kick. And the VB striker would net his second of the game in the 65th minute after going past three defenders before stroking the ball past Al Ahed goalkeeper Mohamad Santina. Atwi restored the two-goal cushion with a powerful shot in the 77th minute and Zreik added a fifth with an acrobatic shot three minute later before Al Ahed's Armenian defender Alexandre Tateosian turned the ball into his own net in stoppage time. While the game provided plenty of entertainment, Al Ahed coach Mohamed Sahil was unhappy with the defensive lapses that allowed VB back into the game. "The match had eight goals and I think that it was nice for the fans to watch but for us there were a lot of mistakes," said the Moroccan. "We didn't know a lot about our opponents and that's why we tried to avoid any surprises in the first half. However, in the second half they had a different approach and they did better thanks to the good performance of their foreign players. They made things hard for us with their quick counter attacks." VB coach Bahtiyar Can Vanli admitted that his side had lost to a better team. "Al Ahed were the better side. They put pressure on us right from the beginning of the match and that made things hard for us especially after they scored two goals," said the Turk. "We tried to get back in the second half but we lacked fitness as our league has just started back home while Al Ahed have played a lot of matches in their league and they have better experience in the AFC Cup. "However, that is not an excuse and although we don't have experience, we didn't give up and tried our best to get out with a draw at least but things didn't work out for us at the end of the day." |
Posted by Dhi Truth
on 10:13.
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