Abu Dhabi, UAE – Sharjah FC clinched the UAE-Qatar Super Cup title after defeating hosts Al Gharafa 5-4 on penalties. The match, held at Thani bin Jassim Stadium in Doha, Qatar, ended 1-1 after extra time.
The first half ended in a goalless draw, after Sharjah had a slight advantage in attack, thanks in large part to a standout performance from Al Gharafa goalkeeper Khalifa Abu Bakr.
The opening minutes saw an early threat from Al Gharafa in the ninth minute, with a shot that was saved by Adel Al Hosani, before the referee ruled offside against the Qatari team’s striker.
Sharjah responded with continuous attacking pressure, with Abu Bakr saving a powerful shot from Othman Camara in the 23rd minute. Then the same goalkeeper shone again against a shot from Caio Lucas in the 35th minute, ending the first half without goals.
In the second half, Al Gharafa came close to opening the scoring with a powerful header in the 62nd minute, but Luan Pereira cleared it off the line. The Qatari side then finally broke the deadlock in the 64th minute through Florinel Koeman.
Sharjah’s response was swift, as they equalized in the 73rd minute through Luan Pereira, who skillfully converted his teammate’s backheel shot into the net.
Adel Al Hosani shone again by saving a dangerous header from Joselu in the 75th minute, and the match continued without any change in the score until the final whistle.
The two teams resorted to penalty kicks, which smiled on Sharjah with a result of (5-4), to win the title of the Emirati-Qatari Super Cup.
