Al Arabi players celebrate their victory.

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 30: Al Arabi kept its hopes alive for a spot in the West Zone semi-finals of the Asian Challenge League Championship with a decisive 2-0 victory over Maldives' Maziya Sports Club at Kuwait Club Stadium in the second round of Group Two matches. This win brought Al Arabi’s total to 3 points, placing them in a competitive position, while Maziya’s second straight defeat ruled them out of the race. Meanwhile, Turkmenistan’s Arkadag tops the group with six points, and Kyrgyzstan's Abdish Atta is third, also with three points.

Learning from its initial match against Abdish Atta, Al Arabi came out strong, controlling the game early. Youssef Majed opened the scoring in the seventh minute, and Ali Khalaf doubled the lead just two minutes later. Despite several missed opportunities to further extend their lead, Al Arabi’s performance has raised their chances of advancing as group leaders.

In its next and final group match against Arkadag, Al Arabi will need a two-goal win margin to ensure qualification at the top, provided Abdish does not secure a four-goal victory in its match against Maziya. The top team from each of the three groups will qualify for the next round, along with the best runner-up across the groups.

Reflecting on the victory, Al Arabi’s Coach Nasser Al-Shatti praised his team's performance but noted missed finishing opportunities. Speaking at a press conference, he mentioned the team has "turned the page" on the Maziya game and is focused on preparing both mentally and physically for the crucial upcoming match against Arkadag. Emphasizing the tournament's competitive nature, Al-Shatti stated, "Every match is challenging, and we are fully committed to securing a positive result to advance."

By Hassan Mosa

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff