Al Nasr claim first semis spot with shootout win

Al Nasr clinched the first place in the ADIB Cup semifinals after defeating Shabab Al Ahli on penalties in the quarterfinal second leg at Al Maktoum Stadium.

This marks Al Nasr’s sixth qualification for the ADIB Cup semifinals. Mehdi Ghayedi scored twice for Al Nasr, with goals in the 13th and 45th minutes, while Abdoulaye Toure added the third in the 61st minute.

Shabab Al Ahli replied through Mateus Dias Lima in the 25th minute and Yuri Cesar in the 82nd. The first leg, played at Rashid Stadium, had ended 2–1 in favor of Shabab Al Ahli.

Al Nasr took the lead when Ghayedi broke free inside the box and finished past goalkeeper Hassan Hamza Al Mazmi.

Shabab Al Ahli equalized through Lima, who won the ball from Salem Al Shargi before converting calmly for his fifth goal in ten ADIB Cup appearances. Ghayedi struck again just before halftime, lifting the ball over the goalkeeper to restore Al Nasr’s momentum.

In the second half, Toure extended Al Nasr’s lead with a composed finish from inside the area.

Shabab Al Ahli remain the team Al Nasr have scored the most goals against in ADIB Cup history, with 23 total.

Yuri Cesar reduced the deficit in the 82nd minute, sending the tie to a penalty shootout. Al Nasr held their nerve from the spot to seal their place in the semifinals.

Meanwhile, a highly anticipated showdown awaits as Al Wasl host Al Jazira at Zabeel Stadium on Sunday in the second leg of the ADIB Cup quarter-finals, with both sides chasing a place in the semi-finals after a goalless draw in the first leg left the tie finely balanced.

The scoreless opener added further intrigue to a fixture that has historically delivered goals, drama and unpredictability.

Across 15 previous meetings between the two clubs in the ADIB Cup, Al Jazira hold the edge, registering seven wins to Al Wasl’s four, with four draws between them.

The head-to-head goal tally stands at 34–22 in Jazira’s favour, with a total of 56 goals scored, an impressive average of 3.7 per match, reflecting the fixture’s traditionally high-scoring nature.

Al Wasl enter the match boasting a strong record at Zabeel Stadium, where they have avoided a draw in their last 19 home matches in the competition, winning 14 and losing five.

Their form has been even more emphatic recently, winning their last six home matches with a combined score of 20–6.

Al Jazira have played 13 quarter-final matches in the ADIB Cup, winning four, drawing four, and losing five, a record that underlines their inconsistency at this stage of the competition.

Al Wasl, in contrast, have shown slightly stronger quarter-final pedigree from the same number of matches, with five wins, six draws, and just two defeats. With both teams boasting attacking quality capable of swinging the contest at any moment, Sunday’s clash promises to be tense, tactical, and fiercely contested.

The goalless first leg has left the tie wide open, and pushed this quarter-final firmly beyond the reach of prediction.

Khorfakkan and Al Wahda prepare for a promising second-leg meeting in the ADIB Cup quarter-final on Sunday at Saqr Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi Stadium.