Players battling for the ball.

ISTANBUL, Aug 10: Al-Qadsiya suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Akhdood during its training camp in Turkey as it prepares for the new season.

Al-Qadsiya will play two more friendlies in the coming days — against Al-Faisaly of Saudi Arabia tomorrow and Al-Emarat of the UAE on August 19. Additionally, two more matches are being arranged before the camp concludes on August 29.

Tunisian coach Nabil Maaloul aimed to rotate the squad extensively in the match. The first half featured a starting lineup of Ali Jarrah, Mohammed Al-Sharifi, Khaled Ibrahim, Ahmed Al-Yahya, Rashid Al-Dosari, Al-Mahdi Berhama, Jassim Al-Matar, Abdulrahman Al-Dhafiri, Eid Al-Rashidi, Mohammed Soula, and Ismail Khafi. In the second half, Maaloul made several substitutions, bringing on Abdulaziz Abdeen, Moaz Al-Dhafiri, Khaled Sabah, Sufyan Bouchar, Faisal Al-Shatti, Abdullah Mutawa, Talal Al-Fadel, Adhbi Shehab, Bader Al-Mutawa, Ahmed Boudi, and Abdullah Al-Awadhi. Mohammed Al-Omran later replaced Mutawa.

The match featured several young players, including Al-Omran, Boudi, Al-Awadhi, Al-Sharifi, and newcomer Al-Yahya. Goalkeeper Abdeen stood out with multiple key saves, preventing several dangerous attempts.

The game was intense and physical, leading to multiple stoppages by the UAE referees due to on-field altercations between the teams.

From a physical and tactical perspective, Al-Qadsiya benefited from the test against a well-prepared Al-Akhdood side, which ended its own training camp with this fixture. The first half finished 0-0, but Al-Akhdoud scored midway through the second half. In the final moments, Bader Al-Mutawa missed a penalty kick that could have equalized.

Coach Maaloul used the match to evaluate player readiness and try out tactical ideas from recent training sessions, planning to give more players opportunities in the upcoming games.

Meanwhile, Al-Arabi will hold its final training session this evening in Male, Maldives, ahead of tomorrow’s AFC Challenge League play-off match against Maziya Sports.

The Green Falcons arrived in the Maldives last Friday after concluding a training camp in Abu Dhabi, UAE, where they played three friendlies — all losses against Al Wahda (0-2), Bani Yas (0-1), and Hatta (1-2).

By Hassan Mosa

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff