The Seattle Sounders fought valiantly in their FIFA Club World Cup debut in Morocco, but a late goal condemned the MLS side to an early exit from the competition.
Afsha’s deflected shot in the 88th minute proved to be the winning goal as Egyptian side Al Ahly defeated the Sounders 1-0 on Saturday. The Sounders were held to only two shots on goal in the loss, missing out on the opportunity to face UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid. in the semifinals.
The Sounders were on the front foot from the opening whistle, having many opportunities in the final third. Raul Ruidiaz, Albert Rusnak, and Nicolas Lodeiro all had offensive looks in the opening 20 minutes, but were unable to test Al Ahly goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shenway.
Rusnak had a great offensive chance in the 31st minute on a Sounders counter attack, but sliced his shot wide off El-Shenway’s net.
Josh Atencio forced El-Shenway into his first save of the match in the 51st minute, testing his luck from long-range. El-Shenway easily gathered the midfielder’s shot.
Al Ahly was held in check for most of the match but Afsha’s long-range shot in the 88th minute would eventually lead to the winner. Afsha’s shot struck the crossbar but the rebound attempt nestled into the bottom-right corner after a deflection off a Sounders defender.
Yéimar Gómez’s last-gasp header was Seattle’s last chance at tying things up, but El-Shenway made the save.
The Sounders will continue their preseason camp before opening their 2023 MLS schedule on Feb. 26 against the Colorado Rapids.