Shabab Al Ahli earned a narrow but valuable 2-1 victory over Al Nasr in the first leg of the ADIB Cup quarter-finals, with Mateus Lima’s first-half brace proving decisive at Rashid Stadium.
The opening period delivered high tempo and early drama, with all three goals arriving in the first 24 minutes.
Lima opened the scoring after just 12 minutes, pouncing on a misplaced pass from the Al Nasr backline.
The forward darted inside before slotting confidently after beating the goalkeeper to hand the hosts an early lead.
Al Nasr issued an instant reply. Two minutes later, Abdoulaye Toure surged into the area after collecting possession in midfield and drilled a composed low finish into the bottom corner to restore parity.
But Shabab Al Ahli were back in front midway through the half.
Guilherme Bala produced a superb cross from the left, and Lima reacted sharply to steer home his second with a crisp, first-time finish.
Al Nasr pushed hard after the break in search of an equaliser.
Toure forced Hassan Hamza into action seconds after the restart, the Shabab Al Ahli goalkeeper springing low to push away a powerful strike in the 46th minute.
The visitors ramped up the pressure late on, with Kevin going close 12 minutes from time, but Hamza stood firm again to preserve his side’s advantage heading into the decisive return fixture.
The second leg is scheduled for Saturday, 29 November, at Al Maktoum Stadium, where Al Nasr will look to overturn the deficit and keep their cup ambitions alive.
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