Photo Credit: Al Ahli Tripoli Facebook
The 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup, also known as the King Salman Club Cup, is in the final preliminary stage where the winners will advance to the group stage of the competition for top clubs from the Arab World. Libyan club Al Ahli Tripoli hosted the first leg of their clash at the Benina Martyrs Stadium in Benghazi with the runners-up of last season’s Oman Professional League, Al Nahda, on Tuesday. Ahli got off to an excellent start with four goals in the first half to win by a score of 4-2 before the teams clash again in Oman on May 29.
After scoring in Ahli’s Libyan Cup final victory last week, Libya national team striker Anis Saltou put the hosts in the lead with a finish in the 13th minute. Left sided player Mohamed El Monir doubled the lead with an excellent long range strike and it appeared that Ahli might run away with a lopsided result after Nouradin Elgelaib made it 3-0 soon before the half hour mark with another effort from distance.
However the Omani club did not go quietly. Oman national team attacker Al-Mandhar Al-Alawi got behind the Ahli defense to receive a lofted pass from Mohammed Khasib and went around goalkeeper Muhammad Nashnoush to give Nahda a valuable away goal. Ahmed El Trbi restored Ahli’s three-goal lead just before halftime but the visitors found a second goal in the final minutes of the match to keep the current leaders of Omani’s top division in contention for the second leg.
Extended highlights from Tuesday’s match are below.
