Al-Shabab 'snatches' victory over Al-Salmiya with two goals

Al-Shabab secured a valuable 2-0 victory over Al-Salmiya in their match played the day before yesterday in the fourth round of the Premier League at Thamer Stadium. The winners moved up to seven points, while Al-Salmiya remained on their previous tally of six points.

Al-Shabab deserved the win based on their consistent performance throughout both halves. They took the lead in the first half when Brazilian player Toto scored in the 26th minute, following a series of quick passes that saw Omar Al-Hubaiter feed the ball to Toto, who fired it past Abdulrahman Al-Fadli into the net. Yaqoub Al-Tararwa doubled the lead in the 53rd minute, capitalizing perfectly on a pass from Brazilian player Michel to slot the ball into the net.

Al-Shabab effectively imposed their balanced game plan on their opponents, relying on the movements of Brazilians Toto and Michel, along with Al-Tararwa and Al-Hubaiter, to execute their attacks and transition rapidly from deep positions. They created several chances that could have increased their lead, but were denied by the outstanding performance of goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al-Fadli, while a shot by Michel hit the crossbar.

The defense, led by Brazilians Martinelli and Victor, showed resilience against the opponent’s attempts, as did full-backs Saad Al-Azab and Shahin Al-Khamis. The heroic performance of goalkeeper Dhaari Al-Atiqi, who defended his goal with great courage, also cannot be overlooked.

On the other hand, Al-Salmiya lacked cohesion across their lines, leaving clear gaps, particularly in midfield. Players Fawaz Al-Atiqi, Abdulmohsen Al-Turkmani, and Ahmed Bumarayem failed to control the tempo, resulting in numerous errors during the first half.

After substitutions in the second half, which included Syrian player Mahmoud Al-Aswad—who was the most active—along with Mohammed Al-Huwaidi, Mubarak Al-Fanini, and Mehdi Dashti, the attacking performance improved. However, improvisation often marred their play. Although some chances emerged, haste and Al-Atiqi’s brilliance led to their failure. The fundamental issue lay in the inadequate forward coverage by the midfielders, which placed pressure on center-backs Shahzod Azimiddinov and Trezor Chipiwa.