What are the reasons for Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya's defeat against Al-Wasl in the AFC Champions League Elite

Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya suffered another painful defeat in their AFC Champions League Elite campaign for the 2026-2027 season, losing 4-3 to hosts Al-Wasl in a thrilling encounter held at Zabeel Stadium in Dubai for the fourth round of the continental tournament.

The match witnessed a festival of goals and intense excitement as the Emirati team scored four goals, with Mehdi Taremi, Pedro Malheiro, and Nicolás Giménez netting two goals in the 6th, 17th, 45+1, and 67th minutes.

Meanwhile, the Falcons' hat-trick was scored by Al-Harith Hatim, Haitham Al-Juwaini, and Murad Mohammed in the 21st, 55th, and 80th minutes. Despite repeated attempts to come back and the team getting close to equalizing on several occasions, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya could not return with a positive result from Dubai, falling back into a cycle of negative results in the group that includes the elite clubs of the continent, remaining on 3 points in 12th place, while Al-Wasl raised their tally to 3 points in 11th place on goal difference.

Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya's manager Rashid Jaber is in for a real shock due to his team's defensive performance, as he did not expect the players to repeat the same catastrophic individual mistakes they made in the previous encounter against Al-Ain, which directly affected the result.

Despite Jaber's strict instructions to the defenders to maintain full focus and avoid distractions throughout the match, the reality was different as the team's net conceded four goals, most of which were the result of poor coverage, incorrect defensive positioning, and unjustified mental lapses.

In the midst of disappointment, Tunisian striker Haythem Jouini managed to make his mark by finding the net against Al-Wasl, giving his goal a significant morale boost for his teammates and motivating them to attempt a comeback after the shock of the early goals.

Al-Juwayni recalled his beautiful memories on the Emirati pitches by scoring against Al-Wasl once again, just as he did previously while wearing the Dibba Al-Hisn shirt in the 2024-2025 season, confirming his ongoing ability to provide a technical boost to the Falcons' attack.

The absence of Mohammed Jawad and Saed Al-Rousan has clearly had a negative impact on Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, as the team has lost much of its attacking threat and defensive balance without them.

These data confirm that the team no longer has the same abundance of high-quality players compared to last season, especially after the departure of several names following attractive offers. This casts a heavy shadow over the team's performance and makes the absence of any key player a painful blow that affects their competitive chances. This may prompt coach Rashid Jaber to hasten the return of the absent players to the starting lineup in the upcoming competitions.