BAGHDAD (Interstat) — Al Shorta and Al Karkh SC played to a 1-1 draw Sunday at Al-Shaab Stadium in Baghdad, leaving both clubs without a win in the competition this season. Al Karkh SC is now 0-1-1 in the competition and 0-1-1 across all competitions. Al Shorta is 0-0-2 in the competition and 1-0-2 across all competitions. Each side scored one goal, and neither was able to find a winner after the match’s two goals arrived five minutes apart in the second half. The first half ended scoreless. The draw was Al Shorta’s second in competition play and Al Karkh SC’s first.

Al Shorta played the final 35 minutes with 10 men after Moumouni B. was shown a red card in the 55th minute. Al Karkh SC capitalized two minutes later when Zeguei N. F. scored in the 57th minute. Zeguei played the full 90 minutes and finished with one goal. Al Karkh SC could not add to its lead before Al Shorta found the equalizer. The visiting side held the lead for five minutes before Al Shorta responded.

Hussein Ali equalized for Al Shorta in the 62nd minute. Ali played the full 90 minutes and scored once. Mustafa Armid, who also played the full match for Al Karkh SC, recorded one assist on the opening goal. Kuku Kingsley Fidelis, who was on the field for the entire match for Al Shorta, provided the assist on Ali’s goal. The equalizer restored parity and kept Al Shorta unbeaten in the competition, though it remained without a victory after two matches. Al Karkh SC, meanwhile, remained winless in the competition and across all competitions.

The match at Al-Shaab Stadium was a tight affair shaped by the sending off and the quick exchange of goals. Al Karkh SC had the first breakthrough after the red card, but Al Shorta answered quickly through Ali. Neither team scored again, and the match ended level. The draw added another point to each team’s competition record, with Al Shorta now having drawn both of its competition matches and Al Karkh SC having a loss and a draw. The result left both sides still chasing their first competition win of the season. The closing stages produced no further goals, and the match ended with both teams level at the final whistle.

Al Karkh SC entered the match after a 3-2 loss at Al-Karma in its previous competition result. Al Shorta entered after a 3-2 win at East Bengal and a scoreless draw at Al Talaba SC in its earlier competition matches. The records across all competitions reflected those results, with Al Karkh SC at 0-1-1 and Al Shorta at 1-0-2. The teams traded goals in the second half but could not produce a third, leaving the match level at the final whistle.

Zeguei N. F. led Al Karkh SC’s scoring with his 57th-minute goal, while Armid’s assist helped set up the opener. For Al Shorta, Ali’s 62nd-minute goal was the response, with Fidelis supplying the assist. The red card to Moumouni B. in the 55th minute was the only dismissal of the match. The game’s key attacking moments came in a short span after the sending off, but the defenses held after Ali’s equalizer. Al Shorta finished with one goal and Al Karkh SC finished with one goal, matching the scoreline. The scoreline reflected the match’s two goals and the lack of a late winner.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Al Shorta 2, Al Karkh SC 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Al Shorta with a 92.1 percent probability to win. Al Shorta had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 2 went over the over/under line of 2.5.