Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Muscat: Imad Al Hosni scored with four minutes remaining to keep Fanja’s slim hopes of claiming a place in the Round of 16 of the 2016 AFC Cup alive as the Omanis salvaged a 3-3 draw with Palestine’s Ahli Al Khalil on Wednesday.
The point earned was Fanja’s first in four games in this year’s competition and they remain bottom of the Group D standings while Ahli Al Khalil moved on to four points, despite playing only three games.
Ahmed Wridat gave the visitors the lead in the fourth minute when he headed home Jonathan Eduardo Cantillana Zorrilla’s in-swinging free kick from the left, but 11 minutes later Fanja were level when Abdulrahman Al Ghassani claimed his first of the game when his header from Basil Al Rawahi’s corner nestled in the corner of the goal.
By the 33rd minute the home side had taken the lead when Al Ghassani struck again, this time latching on to Mohamed Al Maashaari’s no-look pass behind the Ahli Al Khalil defence before scoring with a cool right-foot finish.
There was barely a minute on the clock at the start of the second half when Ahli Al Khalil levelled the scores once again, with a goal similar to their opener. Zorrilla against sent in a curling free kick from the left, only this time Mahmoud Wadi met the ball with the slightest of headers to redirect it past goalkeeper Mazin Al Kabsi.
Two minutes after the hour mark, Ahli Al Khalil reclaimed the lead with Wridat notching up his second of the game after the Fanja defence failed to clear Islam Batran’s cut back from the right bye-line, with the ball eventually falling to Wridat and he put his shot beyond Al Kabsi.
With just four minutes remaining, Fanja sealed a share of the points when substitute Jarlisson Pereira lifted the ball over the Ahli Al Khalil defence before Al Hosni controlled the ball on chest and slotted the ball home.
Photo: Lagardère Sports