Wihdat seek to retake lead from Shabab Urdun

AMMAN — Week 6 of the 64th Jordan Professional Football League kicks off Friday, with new leaders Shabab Urdun playing That Ras and hoping to maintain their lead.

Shabab Urdun beat Sarih 1-0 consolidating their lead after they beat Faisali 3-0 last week. Faisali beat all-time rivals Wihdat 1-0 dropping the reigning champs from the lead by one point.

Wihdat next play Baqaa, who lost to Hussein Irbid and are now 11th. Wihdat lost their first match 1-0 to Hussein Irbid last week and hope to win their upcoming match to get back into the competition. 

Ramtha are now third after they beat Jazira 1-0. They will next play Kufrsoum, who lost to Ahli 1-0.

Ahli are now sixth ahead of their match against Hussein. Jazira who dropped to 9th play Asala, who are still winless in last place after they lost 1-0 to that Ras, who jumped to fourth.

The league will halt after Week 6 to allow the national team’s regrouping to face Malta in a friendly ahead of its match in Kyrgyzstan on November 17 in Group B qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup doubling as part of the qualification for 2019 Asian Cup.

So far this season, Jordan Cup holders Faisali beat league holders Wihdat 1-0 to win the 33rd Super Cup. It was a much-needed win for Faisali after a disappointing 7th place in the league last year, as runner-up and third places went to Jazira and Ramtha. 

Wihdat have been league champions for the past two consecutive years. Apart from conceding the Super Cup, they were knockout out of the Jordan Cup as well this season.

Jordan Cup quarters

Meanwhile, in Leg 1 of the Jordan Cup quarters Hussein tied Shabab Urdun 1-1, Jazira beat That Ras 3-0, Faisali beat Kufrsoum 1-0 and Ahli defeated Turra 3-0. The return leg will be played on December 15 as teams scramble to secure a title after the elimination of leading contenders Wihdat, Ramtha and Baqaa. 

Four Division 1 teams — Turra, Balaama, Arabi and Sheikh Hussein — qualified to join Professional League teams in the second event of the season. In the preliminary knockout round, reigning Jordan Cup champs Faisali ousted Sarih 2-1, Ahli upstaged Wihdat 1-0, Turra upset Ramtha 5-3 on penalties, Jazira beat Asala 2-1, Hussein eliminated Baqaa 3-2 on penalties, That Ras ousted Arabi 1-0, Kufrsoum beat Sheikh Hussein 2-0 and Shabab Urdun defeated Balaama 5-0.