Al Wasl lost to their hosts Al Zawra’a of Iraq in the first leg of the Round of 16 of the AFC Champions League Two by a score of 3-2.

Al Wasl’s lineup for the match was as follows: Mohammed Al Wali in goal; Soufiane Bouftini, Hugo Neto, Adryelson Silva and Pedro Malheiro in defense. In midfield: Siaka Sidibé, Ali Saleh, Fabio Lima, Renato Tapia and Nicolás Giménez. Up front was Miguel Borja.

Al Wasl started the match searching for an early advantage from the opening whistle, and the first chance came through Hugo Neto in the first minute, but his shot went wide.

Al Wasl achieved their objective and took an early lead in the fifth minute from a well-worked move that started with Nicolás Giménez and a long pass to Ali Saleh, who delivered a beautiful cross that Miguel Borja finished with a lovely touch into the net.

Al Wasl’s attacks continued in search of more goals but without success. The turning point of the match came with the dismissal of Soufiane Bouftini in the twenty-seventh minute.

Mohammed Ali left the field injured in the fortieth minute, with Khaled Al Senani coming on as his replacement.

Al Zawra’a equalized in the seventh minute of stoppage time in the first half through Amer Jamous.

In the second half, head coach Rui Vitória made tactical substitutions, bringing on Gabriel Vareta in place of Ali Saleh and Brahian Palacios instead of Fabio Lima. Serginho and Renato Junior also came on as substitutes for Nicolás Giménez and Miguel Borja.

Al Wasl continued their attempts to score and succeeded with a powerful shot by Siaka Sidibé that rebounded off the Al Zawra’a goalkeeper and fell to Miguel Borja, who put it into the net in the sixty-fifth minute. Al Zawra’a equalized three minutes later through Brayan Riascos, who then scored the third goal for Al Zawra’a in the seventy-sixth minute.

The score remained the same until the final whistle, as Al Zawra’a won the match 3-2. The second leg will be played next Tuesday, February 17, at Zabeel Stadium.