Maius Șumudică made an excellent debut in the Asian Champions League on the bench of Al Shabab. The other Romanian coach involved in the competition, Cosmin Olăroiu, suffered an away defeat.
Marius Șumudică, important victory in the Asian Champions League
Marius Șumudică made his Asian Champions League debut on the sidelines of Al Shabab. The Romanian coach’s team faced Mumbai City, an Indian team. The match was dominated by Al Shabab, who opened the scoring in the 36th minute through Argentinian Ever Banega. In the 69th minute, the same Banega managed to score again in the hosts’ goal. Turki Al Ammar scored in the 77th minute to set the game’s final score. Thus, Al Shabab won 3-0.
Marius Șumudică’s side are in Group B of the Asian Champions League, alongside Al-Jazeera of the United Arab Emirates and Al Quwa Al Jawiya of Iraq. Al Shabab will play their second Asian Champions League match against Al-Jazeera on April 11.
Saudi Arabia’s Premier League is on hiatus for the time being. Marius Șumudică’s team’s first league game will be played on May 6 against Al Nasr. Al Shabab sits third in the league, just one point behind third-placed Al Nasr.
Cosmin Olăroiu lost in the first round of the Asian Champions League
Cosmin Olăroiu’s Al Sharjah side faced Al Hilal in the first round of the Asian Champions League. The hosts started the game strong, managing to open the scoring in the 5th minute through Saleh Al-Shehri. Olăroiu’s team came back straight away by equalizing in the 7th minute through Otabek Shukurov. The hosts dominated the game and managed to score the winning goal in the 62nd minute through Michael. The game ended 2-1 in favor of Al Hilal.
This is Cosmin Olăroiu’s second defeat for Al Sharjah in 21 matches. The Romanian coach took charge of the team in November 2021. Al Sharjah will play their next game on April 11 against Istiklol.
Marius Șumudică delighted to return to Al Shabab bench
Marius Șumudică signed with Al Shabab until the end of the season. He will be joined by his collaborators Gabriel Mărgărit and Cristian Petre. This is not the Romanian coach’s first experience on the bench for the Riyadh team. Șumudică previously coached Al Shabab in the 2018–19 season.
Upon his return to the Al Shabab bench, Marius Șumudică announced his joy at working again at a club where he felt loved and appreciated.
It’s a pleasure to be back! Al Shabab is a team that made me feel respected and loved. I will have the chance to work again with one of the best presidents I have had in my career and to train fantastic players. It’s an honor to fight for such great fans. Let’s get to work!
A big thank you to all the Al Shabab fans who have sent me many messages over the past week. I always felt there was a connection between us. You have a special place in my heart. I will give the best of myself, for you and for the club,” Marius Șumudică told the press. Twitter.
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