Wihdat edge closer to league title as teams fight relegation

By Aline Bannayan - Apr 30,2018 - Last updated at Apr 30,2018

AMMAN — One point separates Wihdat from winning their 16th Jordan Professional Football League title, while five teams battle at the other end of the standings with only three rounds left in the competition.

Wihdat beat Aqaba 3-1 to maintain their lead and next play last-place Yarmouk, while Faisali trail in second place after they overcame Ahli 3-0 and next play Manshieh, who went up one spot and are in the relegation zone.

Jazira went up to third after they beat Yarmouk 4-0 and next play That Ras, who beat Ramtha 2-0 and went up to 6th ahead of Ahli who will play Hussein after the latter climbed a spot following their 1-0 win over Baqa’a.

Ramtha are fourth and have a chance to improve as they play Baqa’a next week, while Shabab Urdun who neat Manshieh 4-0 are fifth and next play Aqaba who are now eighth.

Reigning champs Faisali are in runner-up spot while Ramtha and Jazira have lost any chances for the title after Jazira led in earlier stages and Ramtha were among the top three most of the season.

Before the league resumed Jazira and Faisali played their 15th Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup matches. In the last week of group stage matches, Faisali beat Lebanon’s Ansar 1-0 while Jazira beat Bahrain’s Malikieh 2-1 as the first stage ended with both Jordanian teams leading their groups. Jazira and Faisali will face off in the AFC Cup West Asia Zone semis on May 7 and 14 making sure one Jordanian will be in the zonal final of the second-tier Asian club competition.

So far this season, reigning league and Jordan Cup champions Faisali beat Jazira to win the 35th Jordan Super Cup. Wihdat beat Jazira to win the Jordan Football Association Shield. In the Jordan Cup, Jazira ousted Faisali while Shabab Urdun eliminated Wihdat to reach the final.

Last season, Faisali won their 33rd league title after a four year break and combined it with the Jordan Cup. Ahli beat reigning league champs Wihdat to win the Super Cup, Shabab Urdun beat Faisali to win their second Shield title after they first won in 2007. Sarih and Sahab were relegated and replaced by Aqaba and Yarmouk from the First Division.