Ekambi at double as Ettifaq down Arabi

Al Arabi went down 1-2 to Al Ettifaq of Saudi Arabia in the Group B match of the Gulf Club Champions League at the Al Thumama Stadium on Wednesday.
Karl Louis Ekambi scored a brace for Ettifaq in the 18th and 76th minutes while Ibrahima Diallo pulled one back for Al Arabi in 45+3rd minute.
The hosts could well have been in the front as early as the fourth minute of the match but a Diallo diagonal kick just wide to right. Ettifaq then gained advantage through a defensive lapse as Jassim Gaber lost hold of the ball and Ekambi snatched the chance to move ahead and score past a diving goalkeeper Jassim al-Hail.
In the 42nd minute, a Wassim Kedari header after he leapt high to connect a corner kick missed the top of goal on left by inches. Soon, Diallo provided a fine strike to level scores for the hosts, heading into the break.
The second session saw both sides launching attacks but failing to find a finish.
With action becoming more intense past the hour mark, Al Arabi also survived a VAR check against substitute Ahmed Alaaeldin for a red card as the referee ruled out any foul play.
Al Arabi then suffered a setback as Ettifaq launched a concerted attack from the right and Joao Gabriel broke in but his kick was well saved by Al Arabi’s Abdulla al-Sulaiti but the ball flew towards a waiting Ekambi on the left to encash on the chance.
Al Arabi tried hard to score another equaliser but were met with a lot of resistance but they come close on a few occasions. The result took Ettifaq’s tally to 6 points from two wins in two games while Al Arabi have 1 point after two matches. Al Riffa and Al Qadsia, who have played three matches each, have 4 and 2 points, respectively.
This new version of Gulf Club Champions League includes eight teams divided into two groups with matches held on home-and-away basis. The top two teams from each group qualify for the semi-finals.