
Al Wahda remain in contention for a place in the Asian Champions League after winning play-off game against Al Karamah.
Mahmoud Khamis struck late in the second half to secure the win for the UAE side, who will tackle India's Churchill Brothers next week with the victor securing their place in the group stage of the continental competition.
The visitors started well and produced the first chance of the game in the opening minute when Brazilian striker Fernando Baiano's free-kick was pushed behind for a corner by goalkeeper Mosab Balhous.
Al Karamah's first chance of note came in the 33rd minute when midfielder Aattef Jenniat saw his powerful drive saved by Abdel Al Hosani.
The hosts pushed forward in the second half and Al Wahda looked to exploit that by hitting them on the counter, which they successfully did in the 72nd minute when Baiano quickly released Khamis, who broke into the area before sending his shot beyond Balhous.
Seeing their Asian Champions League hopes slipping away, Al Karamah once again went all out in attack in a bid to get back into the game but the Al Wahda defence held firm to secure the victory.
"The players fulfilled their duties and they were good. Our defenders also had a good performance and after we scored we tried to hold onto our lead and we managed to do so at the end," said Al Wahda coach Josef Hickersberger.
"Both teams were cautious because one goal could have been enough for any of them. We were all over the field and we managed to get past the cold and the fans. We won against a team who are hard to beat at home."
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