A sparkling clash is set to unfold in the fifth round of the AFC Champions League group stage, when Saudi Arabia's reigning champions Jeddah United set off on the road to face Al Marek, who are ranked fourth in the Uzbekistan league.
Jeddah United need only one win to qualify for the group. In the pre-tournament standings, United Jeddah are at the top of Group C with 9 points, while Almarek are at the bottom with a total loss. Looking back at the first leg, where Jeddah United beat their opponents by 3 goals, it seems that on paper, Almarek will have a hard time resisting Jeddah United's powerful offense. Nonetheless, only about 11% of fans favor Almarek to create a cold streak at home and beat the strong Jeddah United.
Almarek offered a host of strong players such as Martin, Rustamov, Djiyosov, Denisov and others to make their debut in this match. The visitors, Jeddah United, on the other hand, are led by stars such as Hamed, Ghamdi, Benzema, Fabinho and Wakata.
Jeddah United were the first to break the deadlock in the 31st minute of the match when Fabinho sent in a fine pass that was met by Super League veteran Hammad.
Immediately after, in the 35th minute, Shanketi's precise pass was seized by Hammad to extend the lead with a second goal.
However, in the 79th minute, Martin scored a goal for Almarek to temporarily alleviate the team's deficit.
In the end, Jeddah United managed to seal the win after a five-minute thriller to advance to the knockout stage in the early rounds, while Almarek suffered their fifth consecutive defeat.
