1981–82 Arab Club Champions Cup

1981–82 Arab Club Champions Cup
بطولة الأندية العربية لأبطال الدوري 1981–82
Tournament details
Dates19 June 1981 – 7 February 1982
Teams3 (from 1 association)
Final positions
ChampionsIraq Al-Shorta (1st title)
Runners-upLebanon Al-Nejmeh
Tournament statistics
Matches played4
Goals scored9 (2.25 per match)
Top scorer(s)Iraq Ali Hussein Mahmoud
Qatar Jamal Al-Khatib
Lebanon Hassan Chatila
(2 goals each)
1984

The 1981–82 Arab Club Champions Cup was the first edition of the Arab Club Champions Cup. The tournament featured three teams, after the withdrawal of South Yemeni club Al-Tilal, Saudi club Al-Nassr and Somali club Horseed.

Iraqi club Al-Shorta were crowned champions after a playoff victory against Lebanese side Al-Nejmeh. Al-Ahli of Jordan were the other team to take part.

Teams

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Participants
Team Qualifying method
Iraq Al-Shorta 1979–80 Iraqi National League champions
Jordan Al-Ahli 1979 Jordan League champions
Lebanon Al-Nejmeh 1974–75 Lebanese Premier League champions (most recent Lebanese championship)
Withdrawals
Team Qualifying method
South Yemen Al-Tilal 1979–80 South Yemeni League champions
Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr 1979–80 Saudi Premier League champions
Somalia Horseed 1979–80 Somali First Division champions

Semi-finals

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The six teams were originally drawn into two groups, with one group consisting of Al-Nejmeh, Al-Ahli and Al-Tilal, and the other group consisting of Al-Shorta, Horseed and Al-Nassr.[1] However, Al-Nassr withdrew from the tournament due to several of their players being unavailable on international duty, and Al-Tilal also withdrew from the competition.

A two-legged semi-final was therefore set up between Al-Nejmeh and Al-Ahli, with both matches being held at Amman International Stadium in Amman, Jordan due to the Lebanese Civil War[2] Horseed were scheduled to travel to Baghdad on 2 February to play Al-Shorta in the other semi-final, but Horseed withdrew from the tournament and Al-Shorta qualified directly for the final.[3]

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Al-Nejmeh Lebanon 2–1 Jordan Al-Ahli 2–1 0–0
Al-Shorta Iraq (w/o) 1 Somalia Horseed
1 Horseed withdrew from the tournament.
Al-Nejmeh Lebanon2–1Jordan Al-Ahli
Al-Khatib 8'
Chatila 37'
Salamah 24'

Final

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Both legs of the final were held at Al-Shaab Stadium in Baghdad, Iraq due to the Lebanese Civil War.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Al-Shorta Iraq 4–2 Lebanon Al-Nejmeh 2–0 2–2

First leg

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After Al-Nejmeh's kits and boots did not arrive in Baghdad in time for the first leg, Al-Shorta provided kits and boots to the Al-Nejmeh team to wear for the match. Al-Nejmeh wore red shirts with white shorts and black boots (except for the player Mohammed Hatoum who wore white boots), while Al-Shorta wore green shirts with white shorts and green socks.[6]

Al-Shorta took the lead in the 40th minute; Mahmoud Hussein Mahmoud beat an Al-Nejmeh player on the right wing and sent in a cross which his brother Ali Hussein Mahmoud met with a header, sending the ball over Al-Nejmeh goalkeeper Zain Hashim and into the net.[7] Ali Hussein Mahmoud scored his second goal in the 83rd minute, as he was sent through on goal and netted with a left-footed shot towards the near post from inside the penalty area.[8] The Kuwaiti referee also awarded Al-Shorta a penalty in the match, but it was missed by Ali Hussein Mahmoud, and the match ended 2–0.[9]

Al-Shorta Iraq2–0Lebanon Al-Nejmeh
Mahmoud 40', 83'

Second leg

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Al-Nejmeh wore orange shirts, black shorts and orange socks for the second leg, and the Lebanese side took the lead in the first half through Jamal Al-Khatib who got onto the end of a corner delivered by Al-Nejmeh's captain and struck the ball past goalkeeper Raad Hammoudi.[10] Al-Shorta equalised in the first half when Riyadh Nouri bundled the ball over the line after an Al-Nejmeh defender had made a goal-line block. Al-Nejmeh took the lead again in the second half when Hassan Chatila scored with a shot from outside the penalty area, but Al-Shorta brought the game back level and restored their two-goal aggregate advantage when Tariq Abdul-Amir crossed the ball into the box for Salih Radhi to finish.[11]

Al-Nejmeh player Jamal Al-Khatib suffered a dislocated hip during the match, which ended 2–2, therefore making Al-Shorta 4–2 winners on aggregate.[12] Al-Shorta manager Douglas Aziz was presented with the trophy after the game.[13]

Winner

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1981–82 Arab Club Champions Cup
Winners
Iraq
Al-Shorta
1st Title

Top goalscorers

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Rank Player Team Goals
1 Iraq Ali Hussein Mahmoud Iraq Al-Shorta 2
Qatar Jamal Al-Khatib Lebanon Al-Nejmeh
Lebanon Hassan Chatila Lebanon Al-Nejmeh
4 Jordan Shaker Salamah Jordan Al-Ahli 1
Iraq Riyadh Nouri Iraq Al-Shorta
Iraq Salih Radhi Iraq Al-Shorta

References

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  1. ^ Riyah, Ali (26 July 2023). "للعـراق فـضـلُ الريـادة.. وتفـرّدُ الإنـجـاز!" (in Arabic).
  2. ^ "الأهلي ..أول سفير أردني لبطولات الأندية الآسيوية" (in Arabic). Al-Ahli Amman Club. 2 January 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
  3. ^ "الــزيـارة الـتي لــم تـتـم" (in Arabic). Mondial AR. 19 August 2019.
  4. ^ Gamal, Khaled (14 August 2018). "الخطيب سجل أول هدف في بطولة الأندية العربية عام 1981". Facebook (in Arabic).
  5. ^ "نعود بالذاكرة الى زمن كرة القدم الجميل بلقاء مع اللاعب علي ابراهيم" (in Arabic). LFC Sports. 29 November 2020.
  6. ^ "لحظاتٌ لا تُنسى في مسيرة "حسن شاتيلا" الناجحة" (in Arabic). Ahwal Media. 16 October 2020.
  7. ^ "رئيس تاريخي وفريق تاريخي" (in Arabic). رابطة جمهور نادي النجمة فرع البربير. 24 July 2020.
  8. ^ "البطولة الاولى للاندية العربية بكرة القدم" (in Arabic). Mondial AR. 20 July 2017.
  9. ^ "في مثل هذا اليوم 5 شباط من عام 1982 لعب نادي الشرطة اولى مباراة في نهائيات بطولة الاندية العربية الاولى امام نادي النجمة اللبناني" (in Arabic). Old Iraqi Football Days. 5 February 2018.
  10. ^ "جمال الخطيب لـ "أحوال": ياسر عرفات أرغمني على البقاء مع "النجمة"" (in Arabic). Ahwal Media. 25 April 2021.
  11. ^ "في مثل هذا اليوم 7 شباط من عام 1982 لعب نادي الشرطة تاني مباراة في نهائيات بطولة الاندية العربية الاولى امام نادي النجمة اللبناني" (in Arabic). Old Iraqi Football Days. 7 February 2018.
  12. ^ "الغزال الأسمر جمال الخطيب" (in Arabic). Kooora. 20 July 2008.
  13. ^ "اراء وتعقيبات حول فوز نادي الشرطة العراقي ببطولة الاندية العربية ابطال الدوري بكرة القدم" (in Arabic). Al-Jumhouriya Newspaper. 10 February 1982.
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