Alkass English
Al Sadd began their AFC Champions League Elite 2025-26 campaign with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Al Shorta at a charged Zawra Stadium in Baghdad on Monday night.
The home side took control early, with Dominique Mendy making an instant impact on his debut. After going close in the 16th minute, the French forward pounced on a poor clearance in the 28th minute, driving into the box before slotting past Meshaal Barsham to give Al Shorta the lead.
Al Sadd looked for a quick reply and nearly found it when Akram Afif’s long-range strike whistled wide, followed by Rafa Mujica’s clever run and shot that rattled the post. Felix Sanchez’s men had to withstand further pressure in the second half, with Leonel Ateba testing Barsham in the 56th minute.
The breakthrough for the Qatar Stars League champions finally arrived six minutes later. After a spell of pressure, Boualem Khoukhi’s header cannoned off the crossbar, and the rebound fell kindly for captain Hassan Al Haydos, who calmly slotted home to level the score in the 62nd minute.
Al Shorta pressed hard in the final stages, with Mendy, Abdulrazzaq Qasim, and Mahmoud Al Mawas all trying their luck, but none could beat Barsham. In stoppage time, Afif had the golden chance to seal victory for Al Sadd, only to blaze his close-range effort over the bar.
In the end, both sides had to settle for a point, with Al Sadd showing resilience to fight back while Al Shorta rued missed opportunities in front of their home crowd.