The home crowd became the center of attention in a scoreless first leg draw between hosts CS Sfaxien and Qatar Sports Club on Monday in Sfax as the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup continued on with its final qualifying stage. The Tunisian club failed to utilize their home advantage and take a lead back to Qatar for the second leg which will take place next Tuesday in Doha.
Sfaxien supporters, whose club were unable to qualify for CAF club competition for the 2022-23 season, were thrilled to support their club in the King Salman Club Cup and brought the pyrotechnics and passion for the occasion. Flares were lit and tension grew between CSS and Qatar SC who had to adjust to an environment the Qatari club is not accustomed to. The first half saw both teams occasionally threaten from set pieces but fail to test the goalkeepers.
The second half featured more of the same on the football side but Qatar SC became more rattled and frustrated by the environment. Soon after the hour mark, Qatar SC playmaker Bashar Resan lost his composure and threw a ball at one of the ball boys, prompting anger and objects to be thrown at him after the Iraqi national team star hit his target in the head. In the 71st minute, a flare went off in close proximity to goalkeeper Saate’a Al Abbasi who needed treatment for an extended period. Soon after the incident Qatar SC came the closest of either teams to breaking the deadlock when Sebastian Soria’s long range shot was tipped wide by CSS and Tunisia national team goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen.
A report from Doha News has video of the notable incidents from the match in the link below. Extended highlights are in the video below following the link.
