RIYADH: Back-to-back Saudi Women’s Premier League champions Al-Nassr secured a second successive victory in the preliminary group stage in the AFC Women’s Champions league to top Group A going into the final round this weekend.
The Riyadh club, representing the Kingdom as the first Saudi side to compete in Asia’s premier continental women’s club competition, provided a dominant display on Tuesday on their way to sealing a 3-0 victory against Young Elephants FC of Laos.
Algerian midfielder Lina Boussaha opened the scoring with a stunning free kick ahead of half time, before new summer signing Ruth Kipoyi doubled Al-Nassr’s advantage going into the half time break. The former Galatasary attacker darted into the box before sending a stunning strike into the top corner for her first goal for the Riyadh club.
Sandro Mendes’ side started the second half as they finished, with Tanzanian striker Clara Luvanga firing a low finish for her third goal in two AFC Women’s Champions League matches.
Following strong displays in her first matches for the club, 15-year-old Saudi starlet Basma Al Shenaifi believes she’s learning from the best in her first professional season. She said: “It means so much to me to be playing at this level. The girls have been so helpful, I’m always learning from them.
In every training session they always come and help me so I can improve my game. They have inspired me to play with confidence, not be afraid to make mistakes. It’s been a great start to the season for me.”
Tuesday’s win sees Al-Nassr sit atop Group A with two wins from two matches, setting up a table-topping clash with UAE-side Abu Dhabi Country Club in the final fixture of the Group A Preliminary Stages.
Al-Nassr stopper Sara Khalid sees her side continuing to build on its strong foundations following two consecutive shutouts to make progress towards the goal of achieving AFC Women’s Champions League qualification.
Sara Khalid said: “Before we came into the group, we said the aim was to win the three games. We have 6 points so far so we’re working towards the next 3 points now.
“There has been a really strong chemistry between myself and the backline so far which is positive. We have been training well together to develop that, and with every game, we enter with the aim of keeping a clean sheet to not concede no matter who the opponent is. We’ve managed to keep the two clean sheets which has helped us build our way into the game. We have our identity, our style, and we’ll keep building on this”.
In the early match on Tuesday, Abu Dhabi Country Club of the United Arab Emirates snatched a late 1-0 victory against Myanmar's Myawady Women FC thanks to an 88th-minute winner from Fatima Al Marzooqi to secure two wins from two matches in the group.
With the final round of fixtures commencing on Saturday, Young Elephants FC will face Myawady Women FC at the Al-Nassr Club stadium, while joint group leaders Abu Dhabi Country Club and Al-Nassr compete for the top spot in Group A at Al-Awwal Park.
For more information on the Preliminary Stages of the AFC Women’s Champions League in Riyadh, visit: saff.com.sa
