Al Duhail players celebrate the equaliser.
Doha, Qatar: Al Duhail SC and Sharjah FC settled for a 1-1 draw which kept their AFC Champions League (ACL) Elite Round of 16 hopes just about alive yesterday.
The stalemate at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium took both sides to eight points, with their fates to be decided in next week’s final round of League Stage matches.
Both teams came into the tie needing victory, with Al Duhail having gone down 2-1 against Iranian side Tractor SC last time out, while Sharjah fell to a solitary goal against Saudi Pro League outfit Al Hilal SFC.
The home side threatened in the sixth minute with Jean-Charles Castelletto sending his glancing header off Benjamin Bourigeaud’s cross just wide of the right post, while Sharjah responded three minutes later with Matheus Saldanha forcing Al Duhail keeper Salah Zakaria into a save.
Al Duhail exposed Sharjah again a minute later when Sharjah goalkeeper Adel Al Hosani spilled Edmílson Junior’s close-range shot into the path of Adil Boulbina who, however, was flagged offside.
Another chance went begging for the Qatari side in the 12th minute when Edmílson Junior slipped through into the box and floated the ball for an unmarked Boubakary Soumare at the far post who, however, crashed his shot against the left post.
The missed opportunities came back to haunt Al Duhail when Zakaria brought down Luanzinho inside the box, allowing Igor Coronado to convert from the spot in the 41st minute.
Boulbina and Krzysztof Piatek caused problems for Sharjah early in the second half, while Maro Katinic couldn’t find the target from Coronado’s cross in the 50th minute with Luanzinho flashing his headed attempt agonisingly wide 10 minutes later from a fast break.
Al Duhail were left frustrated again in the 62nd minute when Luanzinho fed an unmarked Boulbina, whose effort was ruled offside.
There was, however, joy for the Algerian midfielder as he equalised from the spot in the 81st minute after being brought down by Rafael Pereira.
Sharjah goalkeeper had initially saved the effort, diving to his right to stop the effort but the penalty had to be retaken as the keeper had come off his line, with Boulbina making no mistake with his second attempt as the points were shared.
