Al Gharafa team reached the group stage of the competition AFC Champions League EliteThis came after defeating the UAE’s Shabab Al Ahli Dubai team by one goal in the preliminary qualifying stage of the new continental championship.
Al Gharafa received the team Al Ahli Dubai Youth Emirati, at Al Bayt Stadium, in the play-off match qualifying for the group stage of the 2024-25 AFC Champions League.
The first half of the match between Shabab Al Ahli and Al Gharafa ended in a goalless draw, but the Qatari team managed to score the winning goal at the beginning of the second half and maintained it until the end.
Al Gharafa faced bad luck at the beginning, and goalkeeper Hassan Hamza shone during the first half in particular, as he stopped four sure shots and kept his goal clean, especially in the first 45 minutes.
The sixth minute of the match witnessed a very dangerous opportunity, as the new striker, Joselu, headed the ball towards the net, but it hit the crossbar, before Jamal Hamad shot a powerful ball that was blocked by the goalkeeper.
Then the ball came back again, and this time it was shot by the Romanian, Florinel Coman, after he got the ball and turned, but the goalkeeper of the Emirati team pushed the ball away, so it returned to Joselu who scored it in the net, but the referee canceled the goal due to offside.
In the (30) minute, Yahya Al-Ghasani shot a powerful ball that was blocked by Al-Gharafa’s goalkeeper, and the scoreless tie between the two teams continued.
Ferjani Sassi’s header sends Al Gharafa to the AFC Champions League
In the second half, Tunisian Ferjani Sassi, Al-Gharafa midfielder, scored the winning goal for his team against Shabab Al-Ahli.
Sassi led an attack from the middle of the field at minute (50) and passed the ball to Jamal Hamad, before he penetrated into the penalty area, then Hamad sent him a cross that Sassi rose to head and put the ball into the net in a wonderful way.
The match did not witness anything new, and despite the referee counting (10) minutes of stoppage time, the Panthers team succeeded in preserving the only goal of the match, to qualify for the group stage of the AFC Champions League.
The AFC Champions League for Elite replaces the previous continental competition (AFC Champions League) which was crowned by Al Ain of the UAE in its last edition. The new competition includes 24 teams, 12 in each of the West and East groups. The top eight teams from each group qualify for the round of 16, which is played on a home and away basis.
The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will be held in one match in Saudi Arabia, with the champion receiving $12 million.
After Al-Gharafa qualifies, it will be in the second pot with Al-Ahly of Saudi Arabia, Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia, Al-Rayyan of Qatar, Esteghlal of Iran, and Al-Wasl of the Emirates.
When is the draw for the AFC Champions League Elite 2024-2025?
The Asian Football Confederation has set the date for the draw for the group stage of the AFC Champions League for the elite. The draw is scheduled to take place on Friday, August 16, 2024, at the Confederation’s headquarters in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.
