DOHA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Iraq's Al Shorta beat Al Ahli Saudi FC 2-1 on Thursday, recording their first-ever AFC Champions League win.
Al Shorta's center-back Saad Natiq met Ali Fayez's out-swinging cross from the corner with a powerful header that left goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais helpless in the 14th minute.
Mohammed Al Majhad made his way past two Al Shorta defenders before drilling one into the bottom right corner of Basil's goal to bring the scores level in the 56th minute.
Kudhur Ali advanced down the right-wing and sent a low cross for Mazin Fayyadh who kept his composure to beat Al Owais at his near post and make it 2-1 before the midway point of the second half.
The result meant Al Shorta move ahead of Esteghlal and into second place with four points. A draw against the Iran side on Sunday will be enough for Shahd's men to secure passage to the knockout stages for the first time in their history.
In Group B, a late goal from substitute Pedro Conde gave Shabab Al Ahli Dubai a second consecutive 1-0 win over Shahr Khodro FC.
Shabab Al Ahli substitute Pedro Conde made his mark with his first touch when he received a dinked ball from Eduardo to put him in on goal, and despite a heavy challenge by Shahr Khodro's Farshad Faraji the Spaniard made no mistake in drilling the shot to the keeper's right.
The result sees debutants Shahr Khodro eliminated from the AFC Champions League, while Shabab Al Ahli sit in third with six points.
In the other match of Group B, reigning champions Al Hilal SFC saw their five-game winning streak come to an end as they played out a goalless draw against Pakhtakor.
The result leaves both teams where they started in first and second places in Group B. With Pakhtakor just one point ahead of their next opponents Shabab Al Ahli Dubai FC, they can't afford to slip up while Al Hilal would need nothing less than a win to book their place in the Round of 16 before matchday six. Enditem
