In the 2012–13 season, Al Shorta won both the 2012–13 Iraqi Elite League and the Baghdad Cup.
Al Shorta won the Iraqi Elite League on the last day of an historic season, thrashing Al Talaba 3–0 to ensure that they clinched the title for the first time since the 1997–98 season and finished two points ahead of second-placed Arbil, losing just two games in the entire season. Al Shorta also triumphed in the Baghdad Cup, with a 1–0 win over rivals Al Zawraa. Hussein Karim scored the winning goal in the match.
The season witnessed Al Shorta sign their first ever foreign players. Cameroonian defender Innocent Awoa was the first to join, and he became a key player for Al Shorta, scoring a goal on the opening day of the season. Sékou Tidiane Souaré, an Ivorian defender, joined the club soon after Innocent Awoa's arrival, however he left the club without playing a single game due to homesickness. Cameroon international striker Jean Michel N'Lend signed a contract with the club at the start of the season and he bagged six goals during his spell at the club, including an historic hat-trick against rivals Al Quwa Al Jawiya. He became the first ever non-Iraqi to score a hat-trick in an Iraqi Premier League match and he left the club in May 2013. Nigerian striker Minusu Buba joined the club on loan a few games into the season and became a star striker, scoring eight goals including a goal in the final match of the season (the 3–0 victory over Al Talaba). Defender Paul Koulibaly, a Burkina Faso regular, joined in the winter transfer window and he provided solidity and experience to the league's second-best defence (only Baghdad FC conceded fewer goals than Al Shorta in the season).
Many of these signings were orchestrated by Al Shorta's Iraqi manager Thair Jassam, who joined the club at the very beginning of the season. He led the team to a league and cup double, cementing his place as a legend for the club.
Al Shorta's league top scorer was Iraqi forward Amjad Kalaf for the third season in a row; this time he netted nine goals.
Squad
(on loan from El Gouna FC)
Out on loan
(at Al Talaba until the end of the 2012–13 season) (at Zakho FC until the end of the 2012–13 season) (at Sulaymaniya FC until the end of the 2012–13 season)
Departed during season
Kit PeriodHome coloursAway coloursOctober 2012 – April 2013,June 2013 – July 2013April 2013 – May 2013,July 2013 – September 2013
Transfers
In
Date Pos. Name From Fee August 2012 FW Hussein Karim Dohuk FC – August 2012 MF Abbas Rehema Al Talaba – August 2012 GK Mohammed Gassid Al Talaba – August 2012 FW Muslim Mubarak Arbil FC – August 2012 MF Hussein Abdul-Wahed Arbil FC – August 2012 MF Ahmad Ayad Arbil FC – September 2012 DF Innocent Awoa El Gouna FC – September 2012 MF Mohammed Faisel Al Talaba – September 2012 DF Sékou Tidiane Souaré Free agent – September 2012 FW Jean Michel N'Lend Free agent – November 2012 DF Waleed Salem Arbil FC – December 2012 FW Minusu Buba El Gouna FC Loan February 2013 MF Nashat Akram Al Nasr SC – February 2013 DF Kassim Zidan Karbala FC – March 2013 DF Paul Koulibaly FC Dinamo București –
Out
Date Pos. Name To Fee August 2012 FW Ali Oudah Al Najaf – August 2012 MF Jabir Shakir Al Najaf – August 2012 MF Sanad Raad Saleem – August 2012 MF Muntadher Abdulkareem – August 2012 MF Muhammed Eskander – August 2012 FW Emad Mohsin – August 2012 DF Abbas Rahif Al Kahraba – August 2012 MF Kadhum Dheiaa Al-Hedood – August 2012 MF Ali Yousif Karbala FC – August 2012 FW Hussam Ibrahim Baghdad FC – September 2012 DF Safwan Abdul-Ghani Zakho FC – September 2012 MF Emad Ghali Al Talaba – September 2012 MF Ali Khudhair Al Talaba – September 2012 MF Nadim Karim Al Quwa Al Jawiya – September 2012 FW Mousa Hashem Baghdad FC – September 2012 MF Emad Khalaf Al Quwa Al Jawiya – September 2012 DF Waleed Bahar Al Quwa Al Jawiya – October 2012 DF Sékou Tidiane Souaré – December 2012 DF Mustafa Maan – December 2012 MF Ali Essam – February 2013 GK Muhanned Jabbar Al Naft – February 2013 MF Haider Salim Zakho FC Loan February 2013 MF Abbas Rehema Al Talaba – February 2013 MF Ali Hussein Fandi Sulaymaniya FC Loan February 2013 MF Husain Abdullah Al Talaba Loan May 2013 FW Jean Michel N'Lend –
Iraqi Elite League
Matches
Score overview
OppositionHome scoreAway scoreDoubleArbil FC1–11–0Baghdad FC1–11–1Duhok FC4–31–1Al Kahraba0–01–1Karbala FC3–21–0Kirkuk FC1–01–0Al Masafi5–03–2Al Minaa4–11–2Al Naft2–22–1Naft Al Junoob2–12–0Najaf FC2–01–1Al Quwa Al Jawiya4–10–4Al Sinaa3–01–0Sulaymaniya FC4–01–1Al Talaba1–13–0Zakho FC2–00–0Al Zawraa1–12–1
Note: Al Shorta goals listed first.
Classification
Results summary
Results by round
Baghdad Cup
Top goalscorers Iraqi Elite League
PositionNationSquad NumberNameGoalsAssistsFW14Amjad Kalaf910FW13Minusu Buba82FW10Muslim Mubarak73FW11Hussein Karim71MF15Nashat Akram62FW21Jean Michel N'Lend61DF3Dhirgham Ismail54MF8Mohammed Faisel34MF24Mahdi Kamel22FW17Muhaimen Salim20MF35Ahmad Fadhel16MF5Hussein Abdul-Wahed13MF19Ahmad Ayad13DF25Waleed Salem12DF22Innocent Awoa11DF20Fareed Majeed10MF30Ali Rahim10
Baghdad Cup PositionNationSquad NumberNameGoalsAssistsFW11Hussein Karim10
References
External links Al Shorta website Al Shorta TV Team info at goalzz.com 2012–13 Season Review from Al Shorta website