Al-Shabab saw off Sur 3-2 in the opening fixture of the Professional League regular season on Saturday evening. The away side took the lead in the second half and held on despite a late fightback from the hosts. It was a match decided by moments rather than sustained pressure.
Sur opened the scoring when their striker found space in the box at the twenty-seventh minute. Al-Shabab responded before the break though, leveling things at forty-five-plus-two. To be fair, both sides created chances but the half ended level.
The turning point came early in the second period. Al-Shabab's opener at the forty-ninth minute shifted the balance entirely. And here's the thing about high-intensity games — once you concede that kind of momentum, you have to chase the game.
Sur pushed for an equaliser but Al-Shabab added a second at sixty-two. The visitors sealed it at sixty-five, putting the result beyond doubt by then. The hosts never got out of second gear after losing their lead.
Al-Shabab dominated possession at fifty-five percent and registered seven shots on target compared to Sur's four. Both sides kept things clean with no cards issued. The statistics suggest Al-Shabab were the more efficient side.
Sur arrive with mixed form — they drew with Fanja and beat Oman recently but lost their last meeting with Al-Shabab two-nil. The visitors have been inconsistent too, drawing with An-Nahda but losing to Dhofar. This result puts Al-Shabab on top of the table after one game.