Qatar's Al-Shamal draws with Saudi Arabia's Al-Ittihad in the AFC Champions League Elite

Doha, September 14 (KUNA) -- Qatar’s Al-Shamal drew 1-1 with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad in a goalless draw in their AFC Champions League Elite 2026-2027 match played on Monday at the Bayt Stadium. The first half ended scoreless, with neither side able to find the back of the net. In the second half, Al-Shamal took the lead when Algerian forward Baghdad Bounedjah scored the only goal of the match in the 63rd minute. However, Al-Ittihad equalized through Dutch midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum in the fourth minute of stoppage time. The new edition of the tournament features a fundamental change, with the Asian Football Confederation increasing the number of participating clubs from 24 to 32, divided equally between the Eastern and Western zones. Each team will play eight matches against eight different opponents within its region, with four home and four away games, scheduled between September 14 and February 17 of next year. (End) S S S / S A M