Baghdad, Iraq – Saudi champions Al-Ittihad secured their first win in the Elite AFC Champions League, defeating hosts Al-Shorta of Iraq 4-1 on Monday. The victory was spearheaded by a sensational performance from Moussa Diaby, who scored one goal and provided two crucial assists for teammate Houssem Aouar.
Al-Ittihad, who finished the match with ten men, earned their first three points after three matches, moving up to seventh place in the West Group standings. Al-Shorta remains in 11th position with one point. This victory also marks the first for coach Sérgio Conceição with Al-Ittihad across all competitions, following his debut draw against Al-Fayha in the Saudi League.
Match Summary
The home side took an early lead in the fifth minute when Bassam Shaker headed in a corner, making Al-Ittihad’s task challenging, especially in the absence of captain Karim Benzema. However, Diaby quickly equalized for Al-Ittihad in the 17th minute after receiving a cross from Mahmoud Dombeiya. Fabinho put Al-Ittihad ahead with a second goal from a free-kick just after the half-hour mark.
Controversy arose in the 37th minute when Dominique Mendy unleashed a powerful shot that struck the Al-Ittihad crossbar, with a debate ensuing over whether the ball had crossed the goal line. Following a review with the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), the goal was disallowed, sparking protests from Al-Shorta players.
Al-Ittihad’s Danilo received a red card five minutes into the second half for a strong tackle on Mendy. Despite the numerical disadvantage, the visitors remained unaffected. Diaby broke away down the left flank and sent a pass to Aouar, who found the net to make it 3-1 just on the hour mark. The decisive Diaby-Aouar partnership struck again in the 76th minute. The former Aston Villa winger skillfully rounded goalkeeper Ahmed Basil and set up his Algerian teammate, Aouar, who scored his second and the team’s fourth goal.
Al-Shorta had further chances denied, including an effort from Mohammed Yaseen that was disallowed for offside, and a Mahmoud Al-Mawas header that struck the post in stoppage time.
