The team Shabab Al Ahli from the United Arab Emirates beat the Iranian football club Tractor 1-0 in the first match of the ACL Elite tournament for the 2026/27 season, which took place on Monday evening at Rashid Stadium.
Shabab Al Ahli defeated Tractor in ACL Elite 2026/27
The goal scored by Yuris Cesar in the 22nd minute was the culmination of the confident performance of the United Arab Emirates team in their debut match in the tournament, as they aim to win their first continental trophy. The team, which was a semi-finalist in the previous season, immediately took the lead in the battle for possession, and their pressing paid off as early as the seventh minute when Sardar Azmoun headed the ball into the net, although this goal was disallowed for offside.
Azmoun repeated the attempt in the 19th minute, breaking through down the right flank, but failed to find a teammate for a diagonal pass. A minute later, Riquelme shot from approximately 35 yards, but the ball hit the crossbar as Shabab Al Ahli increased the pressure.
The breakthrough against the opponent occurred in the 22nd minute when Yuri Cesar capitalized on an error by Tractor captain Shojae Khalilzadeh. He took advantage of a free ball on the left and struck from outside the penalty area past goalkeeper Pars Jafari into the lower right corner.
Tractor found it difficult to reach the opponent's penalty area. Tomsilav Strkal finally managed to enter the attacking zone in the 40th minute after a pass from Mohammad Naderi, but the striker's hesitant attempt was easily intercepted by goalkeeper Mateus Donelli.
Jafari made his first save three minutes after the break, deflecting a strong shot from Yuris Cesar from outside the penalty area. Then the UAE winger set up Said Ezatolahi in the 58th minute, who shot wide of the right post.
Mohammad Daneshgar from Tractor came close to an equalizer in the 79th minute when he got behind the defense, but his header only grazed the crossbar. Two minutes later, Mehdi Shiri saw his powerful shot from 25 yards, which Donelli managed to save.