BURAIDAH — Al Taawoun secured their place in the AFC Champions League Two 2024/25 knockout stage with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Bahrain's Al Khaldiya at Wolves Park on Wednesday. The win moved the Saudi Arabian side to 12 points in Group B, three ahead of Al Khaldiya and Iraq's Air Force Club. Al Taawoun's superior head-to-head record against the Bahraini team guarantees their top-two finish in the group. Al Taawoun began aggressively, with Aschraf El Mahdioui and Saad Al Nasser testing the Al Khaldiya defense in the opening minutes. Abdulfattah Adam posed a constant threat, narrowly missing on two occasions, while Al Nasser saw his shot skim the top left corner. Despite Al Taawoun's dominance, Al Khaldiya had a golden opportunity at the half-hour mark when Igor Torres intercepted a misplaced goal-kick by Mailson. However, Awn Al Saluli cleared Torres' low shot off the line. Al Taawoun immediately responded, with Flavio's deflected pass finding Adam, who headed home from close range to give the home side the lead. Al Khaldiya equalized in the 39th minute after Mailson parried Oussama Bellatreche's effort, only for Komail Al Aswad to score from the rebound. Al Taawoun maintained their aggressive approach in the second half, narrowly missing a chance in the 52nd minute when Andrei Girotto's shot was saved by Ammar Mohamed. The home side regained the lead in the 55th minute through Sultan Mandash, who finished a well-executed buildup play involving Saad Al Nasser and Musa Barrow. Al Khaldiya will face Turkmenistan's Altyn Asyr in their next match, while Al Taawoun takes on Iraq's Air Force Club, aiming to further solidify their position at the top of Group B.
