The Peninsula
After a shaky start to their AFC Champions League campaign, Asian football giants Al Sadd made a huge turnaround and are back on track in their quest for the second title.
The reigning QNB Stars League (QSL) champions started the new season with a 1-1 draw against Nasaf in their first Group E match before losing to Al Faisaly 2-1 in their second match.
But on Friday night, The Wolves showed why they are among the top teams in the continent by thrashing Jordan’s Al Wehdat 5-2 despite trailing at one stage in the match.
The victory took Al Sadd - the 2011 Asian champions - to second spot in the group with four points, three points behind Saudi Arabia’s Al Faisaly. Friday’s win against Al Wehdat has given Al Sadd a huge boost as they are now aiming to top the group.
“We played a good match and got our first victory in the group. We have 3 matches left and we will try our best to win in order to compete for the top spot of the group,” said Al Sadd head coach Javi Gracia.
Al Sadd were phenomenal in second half against Al Wehdat scoring four goals in the session, with Gracia hailing team’s first win in the new season.
“I am very happy with the victory over Al Wehdat and the performance of the players in the match. We performed well against Nasaf and Al Faisaly in the first two rounds, but we were not successful,” he added.
“We were very distinguished in the offensive aspects, especially in the second half, and I thank all our players for what they gave in the match, and I hope that we will follow this same approach in the upcoming matches,” he added.
Replying to a query on the absence of Baghdad Bounedjah against Al Wehdat, the coach said: “I am happy with the performance of all the players. Andre Ayew was not present in the first two matches and no one asked about it, and today Baghdad was not present with us. I am the one who choose the right players for the team in every match and all the players are important to me.”
Meanwhile, striker Akram Afif, who scored Al Sadd’s first goal against Al Wehdat, said winning the match was must for his side.
“We congratulate the Al Sadd fans and the technical and administrative staff. The match was like life or death for us. We played a special match against a strong and organised team,” he said.
“The match was not easy. We were not in a hurry and our focus in the second half gave us the victory. We had a big hope of winning and we desperately needed the three points, and we thank God for this result.”
Al Sadd will next face Al Wehdat in a reverse fixture on Tuesday, before taking on Nasaf on April 23. They will meet Al Faisaly in their final group match on April 27.