Al Shorta secure hard-fought win over Al Naft in the league

In a breathtaking football summit that reflected the highest levels of excitement and competitiveness, Al-Shorta secured a valuable and crucial victory against Al Naft with a score of 2-1, in the match hosted at the Adem Stadium of the International Stadium for the 13th round of the Iraq Stars League, allowing the Green Lyre to continue its winning streak and steadily march towards the top of the table.

Al-Shorta players entered the match with clear attacking intentions, and the fans did not have to wait long for the net to ripple; Abdullah Basim succeeded in opening the scoring early, specifically in the 6th minute of the match, giving the Qithara a green moral and field advantage.

Despite Al-Shorta's relative dominance and control during the first half, Al Naft showed strong character and was a tough competitor; they threatened Al-Shorta's areas on more than one occasion, trying to level the score, before the first half ended with Al-Shorta leading by a single goal.

Al Naft made a surprising comeback at the start of the second half, scoring a quick and unexpected goal through Leonel Ateba in the 47th minute, bringing the match back to square one and reigniting the contest.

A quick response from Mimi in the 49th minute: Al Naft's joy did not last long; the reply was harsh and very quick from star Mohanad Ali Mimi, who restored Al-Shorta's advantage by scoring the second goal in the 49th minute, tipping the balance of the score back in favor of the Qithara.

The attacking back-and-forth continued between the two sides, as Al Naft maintained their strong performance and were the better side at times, reaching the Al-Shorta goal on several occasions.

Meanwhile, technology and refereeing adjustments denied Al Naft joy in enhancing their score on two occasions; the first in the 69th minute when Mimi scored a second goal for himself that was disallowed for offside, and the second before the end of the match through Leonel Ateba, which was also disallowed for a prior foul.

With this deserved victory, Al-Shorta continues to collect valuable points, raising their tally to 24 and climbing to 3rd place, tightening the pressure on the leading teams.

In contrast, Al Naft's tally remains at 25 points despite their loss, maintaining their position in second place in the Iraq Stars League after a respectable performance that proved they are a competitor not to be underestimated this season.