Al-Shorta edge Jolan with a narrow victory in the league

Al-Shorta secured a hard-fought and important victory against their hosts Al-Jawlan with a score of 1-0 on Tuesday evening, as part of the third round of the Iraqi Premier League.

The police team entered the match with a clear determination to reconcile with their fans after a draw and a loss in the first two rounds. From the early minutes, the Baghdad team imposed their style and dominated possession, while Al-Jawlan relied on defensive organization and quick counter-attacks in an attempt to surprise the visitors.

The pressure from Al-Qithara paid off in the 40th minute when Cameroonian professional Leonel Ateba managed to score the only goal of the match after a good follow-up inside the penalty area, ending the first half with Al-Qithara leading 1-0.

In the second half, Al-Jawlan tried to break out of their areas and equalize, but Al-Shorta maintained their relative superiority and managed the match with experience.

In the 63rd minute, player Cucu managed to put the ball in the net, but the referee disallowed the goal for offside after reviewing it with VAR.

As the match approached its conclusion, specifically in the 94th minute, Cucu scored a second goal for Al-Shorta from a counter-attack, but the referee once again signaled for offside and disallowed the goal, leaving the lead at just one goal until the final whistle.

The victory gives Tunisian coach Sami Al-Trabelsi a significant morale boost after a rocky start, and it brings Al-Shorta back to winning ways at a crucial time ahead of local and continental commitments.

Despite the loss, Al-Jawlan maintained their tally at 4 points and delivered an organized defensive performance that troubled the police on several occasions, but they failed to convert their counter-attacks into goals.