Mumbai City FC kick-started their first AFC Champions League campaign with a 0-3 loss to Al-Shabab at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, on Friday evening.
Goals from Ever Banega (34',69') and Al Ammar (77') sealed the victory in the Saudi Arabian sides' favour.
Both sides created chances after tidy passages of play but neither finished off those chances. In the 34th minute, Paulinho was brought down by Lachenpa on the edge of the penalty box, with the referee pointing to the spot. Ever Banega converted it to give Al-Shabab the lead.
The Saudi Arabian outfit started to control the game after taking the lead and headed into the break with a one-goal advantage.
Just like the first half, the second half of the game was a fiery contest and both teams were able to create chances, but they failed to convert eventually.
Ever Banega got his second goal of the game in the 69th minute of the game after some great build-up play by the entire Al-Shabab unit. As time progressed, Des Buckingham's side failed to create any clear chances. They were made to pay for these missed chances in the 78th minute, when Al Ammar extended their lead and sealed the victory.
The Islanders will be up against Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya in their next AFC Champions League group stages clash, at the King Fahd International Stadium, in Riyadh, on April 11.
( With inputs from ANI )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor