MUSCAT: Oman’s Al Shabab Club impressed in their debut campaign at the 2025/26 AFC Challenge League (ACGL) following a thrilling 2-1 victory over FC Abdysh-Ata from Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu, Bhutan.
The triumph marked Al Shabab’s second successive win in Group A, taking them to six points and placing them on the brink of qualification for the quarterfinals of the continental competition. The team will now shift their focus to their decisive final group match against Altyn Asyr FC of Turkmenistan on Friday.
After a narrow 1-0 win over hosts Paro FC in their opening match, Al Shabab once again displayed their fighting spirit and composure to register a strong comeback to claim another crucial victory for Oman.
Artem Bilyi opened the scoring as he netted the first-half goal in the ninth minute while Majid al Saadi equalised before the completion of the first half. Mohamed al Ghafri gave his side maximum points and put them a step closer to the quarterfinals as he scored the second and winning goal in the 77th minute.
The opponent side took the lead early when Artem Bilyi struck in the ninth minute as his low shot slipping just beyond the reach of Al Shabab goalkeeper Ibrahim al Mukhaini. Al Shabab responded immediately with attacking pressure as Musab al Maamari came close twice but his long-range strike rattling the crossbar in the 28th minute after an earlier effort was saved by Sultan Chomoev. Al Shabab’s persistence was finally rewarded moments before half-time. Yousuf al Malki’s free-kick forced a rebound from Chomoev and Majid al Saadi reacted quickest to slot home the equaliser, marking a spirited comeback by the Omani side.
In the deciding half, Al Shabab took full control of the match. Their pressing game and quick transitions stretched the Kyrgyz defence, with Kenean Maleko testing the goalkeeper in the 56th minute and Al Saadi heading narrowly wide in the 68th.
A goal from Mohammed al Ghafri was disallowed for offside, but the midfielder would soon make amends. The breakthrough came in the 77th minute when Hatim al Roushdi delivered a lofted pass that split the defence. Al Ghafri timed his run perfectly, sprinted through the middle, rounded the advancing goalkeeper, and calmly finished into an empty net. The victory secured all three points and sealing a memorable comeback win.
Head coach Hassan Rustam expressed pride in his players’ determination and discipline throughout the encounter. “Congratulations to all the players. The team managed to deliver a top match. Also, they could manage to return back to the match and earned an essential victory. It was not an easy match and we expected it will be a tough game. We read the opponent and managed to reduce their attacking in our box. There is one more game in the group and we will fight for another victory,” he said.
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