Al-Seeb wins the AFC Cup for the first time in history
Al-Seeb Club recorded its name in golden letters when it awarded the Sultanate its first continental title at the club level by winning the 2022 AFC Cup after defeating its host, Kuala Lumpur City, Malaysia, by 3-0 in the meeting that was held at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in the capital, Kuala Lumpur.
Al-Seeb scored two goals in the first half through Ali Al-Busaidi and Abdul Aziz Al-Muqbali, and in the second half he added a third goal through Mohsen Al-Ghasani.
Al-Seeb started in a 4-4-2 manner with Ahmed Al-Rawahi in the goal, and in the defense Muhammad Al-Muslimi, Juma Al-Habsi, Ali Al-Busaidi and Hassan Al-Ajmi, in the midfield: Nigerian Jebula, Eid Al-Farsi, Muhammad Al-Habsi and Salah Al-Yahya, and in attack Mohsen Al-Ghasani and Abdulaziz Al-Muqbali.
The Malaysian team tried to put pressure at the beginning of the match, especially through Paulo Jose’s runs on the right flank, but Al-Seeb gradually began to control the course and rotate the ball in search of gaps between the Kuala Lumpur City defenders.
In the midst of the Omani team’s attempts, Kuala Lumpur City almost snatched the goal after Paulo Jose sent a cross pass from the left side that reached the far post to Zafri Yahya to make an attempt that was pushed away by Omani goalkeeper Ahmed Al Rawahi to a corner kick (18).
But Al-Seeb responded by scoring the goal in the 22nd minute by Ali Al-Busaidi, who took a corner kick that went around to deceive goalkeeper Kevin Mendoza and hug the net.
With the Kuala Lumpur City players trying to launch offensive attempts to modify the result, Al-Seeb almost scored the second goal after Salah Al Yahyai sent an elegant pass behind the defenders, which reached Abdulaziz Al-Muqbali in the face of the goal, but he shot next to the post (29).
Then Ajibola Oulabi made an attempt from a distance, which goalkeeper Mendoza kept away from a corner kick (33), and the hosts responded through Zafri’s shot from the right side, which was controlled by goalkeeper Al-Rawahi.
Al-Seeb managed to add the second goal after a quick attack through which the ball reached Al Yahyi to send a cross pass that Al-Muqbali rose to and played his headers neatly into the goal (37), so the team succeeded in ending the first half with a 2-0 lead.
With the start of the second half, the Kuala Lumpur City players rushed to the attack in an effort to adjust the result, while the Omani team continued to play calmly with an emphasis on short passes.
Gradually, Al-Seeb returned to impose its superiority on the events, scoring the third goal by Mohsen Al-Ghassani, who followed the ball on the left side of the penalty area, and dribbled a defender before sending an accurate shot from a difficult angle into the net (69) to end the match with a historic triple.