Sérgio Conceição dodges Danilo’s sending off, Al-Ittihad cruise in Iraq | OneFootball

Al-Ittihad returned to winning ways this Monday by defeating Al-Shorta 4-1 in Iraq. Sérgio Conceição overcame the sending off of Danilo Pereira and smiled for the first time since his arrival in Saudi Arabia, leading the Jeddah club to its first victory in the Asian Champions League.

In the opening minutes, following a corner, Mehdi Ashabi headed into the area and Bassam Shakir, at the far post, finished for the 1-0, igniting celebrations at the Al-Madina Stadium.

The coach called for more focus, and the response came within the first half-hour, with the team turning the score around.

In the 17th minute, Mahamadou Doumbia appeared opportunely in the penalty area and assisted Moussa Diaby, who successfully headed in to equalize. At 29 minutes, Fabinho scored a remarkable goal from an exemplary direct free-kick, putting Al-Ittihad ahead.

The start of the second half brought a setback for Sérgio Conceição, with Danilo Pereira being sent off in the 50th minute for accumulating yellow cards. Nevertheless, after substituting Roger with Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, the Portuguese coach's team increased their lead.

Close to the hour mark, Houssem Aouar took advantage of Moussa Diaby's run at the opposing defense and, already inside the area, made it 1-3. In the 76th minute, the same pass and the same executor sealed the 1-4 final in Baghdad.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.