Salibikhaet Forces Al-Salmiya to Draw in Zain League

Abdulaziz Jasim

Al-Sulaibikhat forced Al-Salmiya to a 2-2 draw in their match played today at the Friendship and Peace Stadium, as part of the seventh round of the Zain Premier League. The result temporarily lifted Al-Salmiya to 10 points, placing them fifth, while Al-Sulaibikhat moved to four points and sat in second-to-last place.

From the start of the first half, Al-Sulaibikhat were the better side, creating several chances as Al-Salmiya’s performance deteriorated significantly. Capitalizing on this, Al-Sulaibikhat took the lead when Fahd Zaid delivered a cross that Lucas Chalon headed into the net past goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al-Fadli (21st minute). Despite going behind, Al-Salmiya did not improve much, prompting coach Ali Ashour to make two attacking substitutions around the 30th minute, bringing on Moath Al-Assem and David Sambeisa for Khaled Al-Othman and Mehdi Dashti. The changes paid off just before halftime when Mubarak Al-Fanati equalized by finishing a rebound from goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al-Sharifi (45+6).

The second half saw little change, with Al-Salmiya relying on pressing with most of their players forward, only to be met by a solid Al-Sulaibikhat defense that focused on counterattacks throughout the half. However, stoppage time brought dramatic events. Al-Salmiya took the lead again through an own goal, as Al-Sulaibikhat’s Mubarak Said inadvertently headed the ball into his own net (95th minute). In the 100th minute, goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al-Fadli handled the ball twice, resulting in an indirect free kick for Al-Sulaibikhat. Abdullah Al-Awadi capitalized on the opportunity, firing a powerful shot into the net to secure the equalizer. Referee Ammar Ashkanani managed the match well.