Mahmoud Khalil nearly got the hosts off to a flying start after he carried the ball forward following a backheel pass from Anael Ngoba, embarking on a solo run from the halfway line to inside the Syrian penalty box before attempting an effort that hit the side netting.

 

Senegalese forward Daouda Dieme thought he had opened the scoring for the Iraqi side after he displayed quick feet to navigate his way past two opponents before exchanging passes with Khalil and side-footing the return pass from inside the box, beating goalkeeper Shaher Al Al Shakir, but watched in agony as the ball ricocheted off the upright.

Left-back Ahmad Hamo had Al Ittihad’s first sight of goal as he lined up a shot from the edge of the area after being set-up by Ahmed Al Ahmed, but his strike could not find its way towards the target.

 

Substitute Almuntaser Bellah Foad made an immediate impact for Al Kahrabaa, advancing inside the box from the right flank and cutting one back for Amouri Faisal who applied a composed first-time finish into the bottom corner to open the scoring for the hosts in the 77th minute.

Just a minute after Al Ittihad restarted play following the goal, Dieme intercepted the ball inside the opposition half, starting an attacking move that saw Foad feed Harith Falah down the right and the latter floated an accurate cross for Dieme to head home at the far post as the Syrian goalkeeper failed to deal with it, gifting Al Kahrabaa a second goal of the night.

 

There was still time for the home crowd to celebrate once more before the final whistle as Falah added a second assist within 10 minutes of entering the pitch as a substitute. Al Kahrabaa’s third was yet another occasion of them taking advantage of a weakness down the left-hand side of the Al Ittihad defence, where Falah delivered a cross for Khalil to head home to sign off the victory.