Wihdat win, Jazira draw in AFC Cup

AMMAN — Wihdat scored a big 5-1 win over guests Lebanon’s Salam Zgharta as they started Group A matches in the 2015 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup on Tuesday.

“We achieved our target as we wanted to win the match regardless of the performance of the result. We are looking to finish on top of the group and that is why we must win all our home matches,” said Wihdat coach Abdallah Abu Zema on the AFC website.

“The players were good as they performed well and followed our instructions and the plan that we put in the recent days. The players showed great fighting spirit especially in the last minutes as they didn’t stop and scored two goals in stoppage time.” 

In other Group A matches, Oman’s Nahda beat Syria’s Wihda 2-1.

In Group B, Jordan’s Jazira could not hold on to their 1-0 lead over Palestine’s Wadi Nes allowing the equalising goal in extra time. In other     Group B matches, Bahrain’s Hidd held Iraq’s Shurta 2-2.

Both Jordanian teams will start the event on a down note. Jazira are embarking on their first Asian competition without their coaching staff present after Israeli border authorities barred four delegation members — head coach Issa Turk, coach Amer Aqel, therapist Jibreel Manasrah and player Omar Manasrah — from entering the Palestinian territories. 

On the other hand, Jordan Professional League champ Wihdat will play their first match after a slump that saw them exit the AFC Champions League earlier this month where they lost to titleholder Kuwait’s Qadissieh 1-0 in the preliminary round. 

Wihdat are hoping to rebound from their latest defeats after their League lead was slashed following their 1-0 loss to Ahli and 0-0 draw with bottom-placed Ittihad Ramtha.

Wihdat have never won the AFC Cup in the past seven times they competed. It is the first time for Jazira who took part after two-time AFC Cup champs and League runner-up Faisali declined to take part.

The AFC Cup will have 32 clubs from across the continent competing in eight groups with the top two from each group going on to the Round of 16.

Last season, first time AFC Cup competitors and Jordan Cup champs That Ras exited the Round of 16 while former AFC Cup champ Shabab Urdun exited in Round 1. They were also eliminated by Bahrain’s Al Hidd in their preliminary round of the AFC Champions League.

The second-tier Asian club competition was won by Syria’s Jeish in its inaugural edition in 2004. Jordan’s Faisali won in 2005 and 2006, and Shabab Urdun won in 2007.

AFC Cup standings