A telling header from Ferjani Sassi ensured a deserving 1-0 win for Al Gharafa over the UAE’s Shabab Al Ahli in their AFC Champions League Elite Preliminary Stage 2 fixture at the Al Bayt Stadium on Tuesday.

The victory secured The Cheetahs a place in the AFC Champions League Elite group stage (West Zone) alongside Al Sadd and Al Rayyan, while Shabab Al Ahli will compete in the AFC Champions League Two with the draw for both competitions to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Friday.

Al Gharafa’s big moment arrived in the 50th minute, with Sassi dashing into the box to time a Fabricio Diaz cross from the right and head perfectly that beat a diving goalkeeper to his left.

Al Gharafa, who held sway for most part of the match, earlier had a bright start and with their high tempo approach almost opened scoring in the sixth minute when Joselu’s shot struck the post after a throw-in.

Moments later, Jamal Hamed saw his effort off a rebound being denied by Shabab Al Ahli keeper Hassan Hamza, who also foiled Florinel Coman’s effort shortly after.

Shabab Al Ahli had a chance to respond in the ninth minute, but Breno Cascardo’s header was comfortably saved by Al Gharafa keeper Khalifa Ababacar. 

The visitors later had a golden opportunity to break the deadlock in the 23rd minute, but Yuri Cesar pulled his shot wide, while Al Gharafa came close again in the 37th minute when Assim Madibo just failed to find the net off his free-kick.

Al Gharafa started from where they left off in the second half and kept Shabab Al Ahli on their toes, with Diaz testing Hamza from distance before Jang Hyun-Soo angled his headed attempt wide from the ensuing corner.

Shabab Al Ahli’s defence finally succumbed soon in the second half when Sassi combined well with Diaz before the Uruguayan sent a well-timed cross for the Tunisian to finish with a thumping header.

In an effort to salvage their hopes, Shabab Al Ahli head coach Paulo Sousa introduced Gaston Suarez, Sardar Azmoun and Guilherme Bala into the mix, but it was to no avail as Al Gharafa hung on for the win and a place in the top tier of Asian club football.