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AFCCHAMPIONSLEAGUE - Saba Battery were left
stunned by last-gasp winner from substitute Mohanad Ibrahim on Wednesday
evening to give Al Karama their second successive AFC Champions League
victory.
Hosts Saba had gone into the match confident of seeing off the Syrian side
and took the lead through veteran goalscorer Ali Daei early in the first
half.
But goals from Jehad Al Hussein and Ibrahim saw Al Karama claim to all three
points and boost their chances of reaching the knockout stage.
Daei, the international goalscoring world record holder, had vowed to crush
Al Karama and his words were given some credence when his free-kick flew
into the top corner to give Saba a 15th-minute lead.
It was no more than Mohammad Hossein Ziaei's men deserved after starting the
brighter and for much of the first half the Iranians were in total control.
Daei was involved in a nasty incident just before the half-hour, a collision
with an Al Karama defender resulting in a cut brow for the striker, who
turned 37 on Tuesday.
The visitors offered little threat in the first half and although Al Hussein
caught the eye in their midfield, Saba's lead was comfortably intact at the
interval.
If the first half had been too easy for the hosts, the second 45 minutes was
to prove a different story as Al Karama, their ears ringing from a verbal
assault from boss Mohamad Kwid, came out determined to take the game to
their opponents.
They came close to parity in the 61st minute through Iyad Mando, whose
close-range effort brought the best out of Bosnian keeper Almir Tolja.
But the merited equaliser was only two minutes in coming, when Al Hussein's
industrious night was capped with a goal that silenced the home crowd.
Mohamad Al Hamwi then could have made it a quickfire double for the visitors
when he shot narrowly over before Ahmad Turkmani squandered another chance
to score the second goal.
But with time running out, and a draw looking the likeliest outcome, Al
Karama snatched the win with a strike from Ibrahim, who only came on with 12
minutes left in the game.
Coupled with their opening matchday win over UAE champions Al Wahda, the
defeat of Saba leaves Al Karama atop Group C boasting a 100 per cent record
going into Matchday Three when they travel to Qatar to face Al Gharafa.
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