Al-Qadisiyah held on for a 2:1 victory over Al-Wasl in the opening League Phase match of the AFC Champions League at the Prince Mohammed bin Fahd Stadium on Sunday. The result puts the hosts three points clear in third place, while Al-Wasl sit bottom of the table with nothing to show from their first game.
J. Quinones opened the scoring in the 57th minute and here's the thing — it came at a moment when Al-Wasl had found their rhythm after the break. The visitors had made three changes at half-time, but Al-Qadisiyah's structure held firm. Quinones was substituted in the 84th minute, having done enough to earn his place in the record.
Al-Wasl responded quickly. M. Retegui pulled one back in the 61st minute, and the game opened up from there. The visitors pushed forward with more urgency, making their own changes — Serginho came on in the 66th minute — but they could not create a clear-cut chance. Their expected goals figure of 0.64 tells you as much.
By then the match had settled into something different. Leandro Spadacio scored in the 90th minute plus six, and that was the moment that mattered. Al-Wasl had made another substitution — T. Reijnders — but the damage was done. The away side had thrown everything at them in the closing stages, but Al-Qadisiyah kept their heads.
The statistics paint a picture of efficiency over volume. Al-Qadisiyah had 53 per cent possession and created three big chances from six shots on target, while their xG of 1.88 reflected the quality of their opportunities. Al-Wasl dominated possession in patches and had 97 attacks, but they registered zero big chances from nine shots on target. Shots accuracy of 31 per cent does not help when you need one.
The table tells a simple story after one round. Al-Qadisiyah sit third with three points from a win, while Al-Wasl are 11th with none. The hosts have been solid in recent friendlies — three wins and two draws in their last five — and this result extends that momentum. The visitors, meanwhile, have won three of their last five but lost to Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai, and this defeat adds to the concern.