Salalah: Palestine’s Hilal Al Quds confirmed their place in the 2019 AFC Cup Finals after beating Al Nasr of Oman 3-1 on aggregate after their second leg playoff tie ended 1-0 at the Salalah Stadium on Tuesday.
Palestine international Oday Dabbagh was the hero of the night with his second half strike that ensured Hilal Al Quds victory.
Hilal Al Quds will join Al Jaish, Nejmeh SC and Al Wehdat in Group A, where they will kick off their campaign against Syrian champions Al Jaish on February 25.
The visitors went into the match having beaten Al Nasr 2-1 in the first leg of the playoff last week.
With a place in the 2019 AFC Cup group stage on the line, both sides began brightly and were evenly matched as they traded blows but neither side was able to find the back of the net in the first half.
The goalless encounter continued well into the second half with Al Nasr growing impatient as the match entered the hour mark, but despite their best attempts, it was Hilal Al Quds who broke the deadlock in the 74th minute when Palestinian Dabbagh beat the defence and shot past goalkeeper Ahmed Faraj Al Rawahi.
Trailing by two goals on aggregate, Rodion Gacanin’s side tried to fight back but Hilal Al Quds’ custodian Rami Hamada pulled off some fine saves to ensure his side the win.
Source: the-afc.com