Al Haj hat-trick leaves Seeb searching for first points in Asia

MUSCAT, OCT 14
Seeb’s AFC Champions League Two campaign suffered another setback on Tuesday as Aref al Haj scored a hat-trick to give Jordan’s Al Hussein a 3-0 victory at Seeb Stadium.
The defeat was Seeb’s second in Group D, following their 1-0 loss away to Iraq’s Al Shorta in the opening round. Al Hussein, who drew 2-2 with East Bengal in their first match, moved into second place with four points. Al Shorta lead the group with six after beating East Bengal 3-2 on Tuesday, while the Indian side have one point and Seeb remain without a point.
Seeb began brightly in front of their home supporters. Ali al Busaidi had an early effort deflected behind for a corner, and Omar al Malki headed narrowly wide in the tenth minute. The hosts continued to find openings, but could not turn their promising approach play into a goal.
Al Hussein also threatened as the first half developed. Masoud Juma sent a header over the bar before Seeb’s Zuhair al Aghbari attempted an acrobatic shot that went wide. Mohammed al Riyahi then missed one of the hosts’ better chances, firing over after receiving the ball inside the penalty area.
The breakthrough came in the 42nd minute. Al Haj struck a free-kick past goalkeeper Ibrahim al Mukhaini to send the visitors into the interval ahead, despite a first half in which both teams had created opportunities.

STRONG SECOND-HALF
Al Hussein made a stronger start after the break and doubled their lead in the 55th minute. Al Mukhaini saved Al Haj’s initial shot from inside the area, but the forward reacted first to the rebound and put the ball into the net.
Seeb pressed for a response. Mulham al Sinaidi shot over from distance and later forced a save from Yazeed Abu Layla, while Augustine Oladapo also sent an effort above the crossbar. Axel Mayi came closest with a header in the 76th minute, but Abu Layla kept it out to preserve the visitors’ two-goal advantage.
Al Haj settled the contest six minutes later. He worked his way through the Seeb defence and lifted the ball over Al Mukhaini to complete his hat-trick. The Jordanian forward had another shot saved late on, while Mayi and substitute Abdulmajeed al Balushi were unable to find a consolation goal for the hosts.
Seeb now face a pivotal pair of matches against East Bengal. They host the Indian club on October 27 before travelling for the return fixture on November 3. With the top two teams in the group advancing to the round of 16, Seeb need points from those meetings to revive their qualification hopes.