Match Report
On paper the standings were lopsided — Al-Ittihad Aleppo 1st with 73 points, Damascus Al Ahli 9th with 39, 34 apart. Damascus Al Ahli had been over-performing their table position on recent form: 4th in the league over the last five rounds against 9th overall. In league terms the two rates read 1.23/1.47 for Damascus Al Ahli and 2.77/0.83 for Al-Ittihad Aleppo (scored/conceded per game); the competition average is 1.25.
Damascus Al Ahli had gone 5 games without a win. Al-Ittihad Aleppo carried a 15-game unbeaten run into this, having scored in 6 consecutive games. The last-five ledger: Damascus Al Ahli 1/15, Al-Ittihad Aleppo 9/15.
Al-Fayhaa Stadium, capacity 30,000, hosted the game. Half-time and full-time told different stories: it was 0-0 at the break, before 2 more goals closed it at 1-1.
Goal scorers
Damascus Al Ahli: Richmond Antwi (80') · Al-Ittihad Aleppo: Ahmad Al Ahmad (47')