al-shamal vs al-ittihad ends 1-1 after late Wijnaldum goal
Al-Ittihad salvaged a 1-1 draw against Al-Shamal in the AFC Champions League Elite opener, with Georginio Wijnaldum scoring in stoppage time. Coach Jens…
AL KHOR — al-shamal vs al-ittihad finished 1-1 at Al Bayt Stadium on Monday, as Al-Ittihad escaped with a stoppage-time equalizer from Georginio Wijnaldum in the opening round of the AFC Champions League Elite league phase. Baghdad Bounedjah had put Al-Shamal ahead in the first half before the Saudi side found a late answer.
The result mattered immediately for both clubs. Al-Ittihad avoided a first defeat of the season, while Al-Shamal walked away with a point after standing up to a team that had more of the ball and more of the cleaner passing numbers. The match never settled for long. It stayed tense right to the final whistle.
Wijnaldum’s goal came in the 90'+4' minute, rescuing Al-Ittihad after a stretch in which they struggled to turn pressure into control. ESPN’s match page listed the game as ending 1-1, with Bounedjah scoring at 63' and Wijnaldum responding deep into stoppage time.
Wissing points to the final third
After the match, Al-Ittihad head coach Jens Wissing did not hide his frustration. Speaking at the post-match press conference, comments reported by the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, he said: “A tough encounter. We faced a difficult team, we have gone through difficult weeks, and it was an uneven match.”
He added: “We had chances and so did they. We lost our sharpness and our decision-making in the final third, but I am pleased that we did not lose hope. It is a fair draw for both sides, and it was not an open contest.”
That final-third issue sat at the center of his remarks. Wissing singled out missed openings for Steven Bergwijn and Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, saying, “We did not get our decisions right in the final third, such as a chance for (Steven) Bergwijn and Ahmed Al-Ghamdi. We did not handle them in the required manner.”
He returned to the same point again. “What we also lacked was accuracy in front of goal. We lost the final decision, and the opponent was good. We had good chances, but we were not successful in the final third. It is a matter of decisions.”
What the numbers showed
The match stats reflected a contest that tilted toward Al-Ittihad without producing a clean edge. ESPN listed possession at 59% for Al-Ittihad and 41% for Al-Shamal. The Saudi side also finished with more shots on goal, more accurate passes, and more of the ball overall.
| Stat | Al-Shamal | Al-Ittihad |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 41% | 59% |
| Shots on goal | 2 | 6 |
| Accurate passes | 310 | 472 |
| Duels won | 43 | 43 |
| Saves | 5 | 1 |
Even with that advantage, Al-Ittihad needed Wijnaldum to prevent a damaging opening-night setback. The draw also gave Al-Shamal a direct return for a disciplined performance, one built around surviving pressure and punishing a lapse.
Wissing said the timing of the upcoming break mattered after more than a month of matches. “The break has come at the right time after this period. We will rest and then return to work,” he said.
He finished by looking past the draw and toward the schedule ahead: “We have many aspects we want to develop. We will think about resting now, and after the break we will have a big encounter that we will think about later.”
Source: livescore.com
