October 17, 2026
Al-Najma and Al-Ansar made a strong start in the Asian Football Challenge Cup qualifiers, after the former defeated Tajikistan’s Esteghlal with a clean goal, and the latter defeated Al-Ittihad Aleppo of Syria with a clean score.
Al-Najma Club, the runner-up of the Lebanese League last season, was able to snatch the three match points from the stronghold of the Esteghlal team, in the second group competitions, whose matches are held in a group system at the “Hesor Central” Stadium in Tajikistan. The only goal of the match came from Ibrahim Tumewa in the 21st minute.
In the same context, within the second group, the Syrian Homs Al-Fidaa team achieved an unanswered 1-0 victory over Al-Arabi of Kuwait, scored by player Gianni Polettino.
Following in the footsteps of his companion, Al-Ansar Club, the Lebanese champion, began its journey in the tournament in the first group competitions held in Bhutan, with a well-deserved victory over Al-Ittihad Aleppo of Syria, with two goals to none. Khalil Badr opened the scoring for Al-Ansar in the first minute of stoppage time in the first half, before his colleague Nader Matar doubled the score by scoring the second goal in the 54th minute.
It is noteworthy that the first group includes, in addition to Al-Ansar and Al-Ittihad Aleppo, both the people of Turkmenistan and Baro Al-Bhutani.
