With the drums of war beating in the fifth round of the AFC Champions League group stage, a sparkling contest is about to begin between reigning Saudi United champions Jeddah United and fourth-ranked Al Marek of the Uzbek Professional League.
Jeddah United can seal their place in the group with a win. On the eve of the match, United Jeddah are at the top of Group C with a nine-point advantage, while Almarek are at the bottom of the group with a total loss. Looking back at the first leg, where United Jeddah had a three-goal advantage over their rivals, Almarek appeared to be a difficult team to beat on paper. Nevertheless, less than 11% of the fans favored Almarek to beat the powerful Jeddah United.
Almarek assembled a host of strong players such as Martin, Rustamov, Djiyosov and Denisov at home. The far-flung Jeddah United, on the other hand, fielded a luxurious lineup of stars such as Hamed, Ghamdi, Benzema, Fabinho and Wakata.
Jeddah United were the first to break the deadlock in the 31st minute when Fabinho sent in a sublime pass that was set up by a clever run from the experienced Hammad.
Immediately after, in the 35th minute, Shanketty found Hammad with precision, who finished with ease.
However, the game took a turn for the worse in the 79th minute when Martin scored the game-saving goal for Almarek.
Nevertheless, Jeddah United managed to beat Almarek and advance to the knockout stage with a solid performance. Almarek, on the other hand, suffered their fifth consecutive defeat and are in a worrying situation.
