AFC Cup clubs battle to reach final 16

By Khalil Hareb in Amman
For Al-Shorfa.com
2010-04-24

[KARIM JAAFAR/AFP/Getty Images] Hamed Ismail (L) of Qatar's Al-Rayyan competes with of Jordan's Al-Wihdat player Abdulattif Al-Bahdari during their 2010 AFC Cup football match in Doha.

Arab teams did their best to reach the final 16 as Round 5 of the AFC Cup began Tuesday (April 20th). Lebanon's Ahed fell short, losing badly to Uzbekistan's Nasaf Qarshi 4-0. Syrian stars Ittihad of Aleppo gained an important three points at home by taking down Indian giant East Bengal 2-1. Qadsia SC managed a 3-1 win over Nejmeh, the other Lebanese team. In Tuesday's final match, Kuwaitis Kazma lost at home against the Syrian outfit Jaish 1-0.

Wednesday (April 21st) was another exciting round of action. Thanks to two early goals, Kuwait SC beat their hosts, Yemeni outfit Helal Sahely 2-0. Shabab Ordon entertained fans in Amman with a scoring marathon, trashing Yemen's Ahli Sanaa 6-1. Ordon's stars needed only four minutes to start scoring.

Later the same day, Omani outfit Saham lost to Syrian giant Karamah 4-1. Bad news kept striking Jordan's Wihdat, as they lost to Qatar's Rayyan 3-0. Wihdat's fans are hoping to see their team recover in upcoming rounds and leave the bad memories behind. Oman's Nahda lost an away game to Bahrain's Riffa 1-0. The home side scored the only goal mere moments before the end of the match.

In Jordan football action, just when everyone was ready to celebrate Wihdat's 2009/2010 Jordan Professional League title, Faisaly spoiled the party. With some help from Shabab Ordon, Faisaly grabbed the title.

Whihdat needed a win or a draw to take top spot, so Green Giant's fans gathered on April 16th to celebrate the title, which would happen if Wihdat defeated Shabab Ordon. But Ordon ruined the party by beating Wihdat 2-1. Faisaly seized this opportunity and won their last match against Ramtha SC 2-1 on April 17th. From two points behind Wihdat, Faisaly leaped to one ahead. Their fans filled the streets, holding their beloved club's flags.

In football action elsewhere, Arabi and Garrafa are the two finalists for the Qatar Crown Prince Cup 2010. The final will be held on Saturday (April 24th). Arabi secured a place in the final after defeating Sadd 1-0 in the semifinals on April 18th. And the very next day Garrafa beat Qatar 2-1 to secure the other spot.

Kuwait Basketball

Qadsia took home the gold in the Kuwaiti Federation Basketball Cup 2010. On Tuesday, Qadsia secured the title by defeating second-place Sahel 78-71. The game was played well by both sides, but Qadsia pushed harder in the paint. Earlier that day, Arabi lost to Kazma 78-72. Sharp-shooting Kazma was ready for the match, and their hard work allowed them to go home with the bronze. Despite their bitter loss to Qadsia, Sahel took the silver.

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