Yemen Monitor/Newsroom:
The Yemeni team Tadhamun Hadramout achieved a precious and surprising 2-0 victory over their Saudi counterpart, Al-Shabab, in the second round of the 2025–2026 Gulf Club Champions League. This came despite playing most of the match with ten men after the dismissal of their defender Radwan Al-Hubaishi.
The two goals of the match were scored by star Mamdouh Bin Ajaj, who led his team to a historic first win for the Yemeni club in the tournament. In contrast, Al-Shabab player Carrasco missed a penalty kick that would have narrowed the gap and revived the Saudi team’s hopes.
This victory follows a heavy loss for Tadhamun Hadramout in their opening match against Al-Rayyan of Qatar by five goals to nil, while Saudi Al-Shabab had drawn 1-1 with Al-Nahda of Oman in the first round.
The Hadrami team had concluded its preparatory camp in the Saudi city of Jeddah at Al-Ahli Club’s stadium, under the leadership of Saudi coach Bandar Basarih and his assistants Hani Mabrook and Naif Bashaghnoon, along with fitness coach Mohammed Al-Nasser and goalkeeping coach Mohammed Al-Toumi.
The “Hadrami Blue” reinforced its ranks with a number of local and international players in professional deals in preparation for its historic first participation in the Gulf Club Champions League, where it plays in Group B alongside Al-Rayyan of Qatar, Al-Shabab of Saudi Arabia, and Al-Nahda of Oman, on a home-and-away basis.
