The football club "Sharja" is trying hard to reach the final of the AFC Champions League after an intense journey during which the team played 12 matches. All of them ended in victory, two matches ended in a draw, and also two times the team suffered defeat. "Sharja" reached the Round of 16, claiming first place in the group with 13 points, alongside which the clubs "Al-Wahdat" from Jordan, "Shakhtar" from Iran, and "Istiqlol" from Tajikistan also qualified.
In the group stage, the team managed to win four matches, drew one and two times suffered defeat. In the Round of 16, "Sharja" twice defeated the Jordanian club "Al-Hussein Irbid", after which in the quarter-finals, they lost in one match and secured victory in the return match against the club "Al-Ahli Shabab", while in the semifinals, they suffered defeat away from the Saudi club "Al-Ittihad", but managed to complete the "historical comeback" on home turf.
The football club "Leonsiti" first qualified for the playoff of the Asian Champions League for clubs in 2004, which is considered the best achievement of the club in this tournament. The team under the guidance of Serbian coach Aleksandar Rankovic finished the group in first place with 10 points from six matches, winning in the quarter-finals against the Thai club "Muangthong United", and also won in the playoff against the Japanese club "Sanfrecce Hiroshima". In the final, "Leonsiti" defeated the Australian club "Sydney FC" thanks to a 2-0 victory in the return game after a defeat in the first match in Singapore.
Adel Al-Hamadi, commenting on the success of "Sharja", noted that the team reasonably qualified for the final of the tournament. He emphasized that the team surpassed the champion by winning two trophies - the President's Cup and the Asian Champions League, and now all attention is focused on the upcoming matches against "Al-Ahli Shabab" and "Leonsiti". He added that despite some issues in the lineup, the team managed to reach the final of the Asian Champions League and is now close to realizing the dream of the first in the history of the club's Asian trophy.
"Sharja" is preparing to write a new page in its history when on the 18th it faces the club "Leonsiti" in the final of the Asian Champions League for clubs. This is the first time that the "Youngsters" have reached the final after many years of participation in the qualifying rounds, with their best result being in the playoff in 2004. "Sharja" carries hopes on the shoulders of Asian football in the upcoming final, being the only representative after the exit of all local clubs from Asian and Gulf competitions.
