Alkass Digital
Al Duhail head coach Hernan Crespo credited his side’s concentration and confidence for their come-from-behind 4-3 victory over Al Taawoun in the AFC Champions League 2022 Group D’s top-of-the-table clash on Friday.
The Qatari side went into the halftime break with a 3-1 disadvantage but turned on the style after the restart and were rewarded with three goals. Edmilson swept home Almoez Ali’s cross to reduce the deficit, before adding his sixth of the campaign from the penalty spot and club captain Ali headed home two minutes from time to win it for Al Duhail.
“I am very happy with this win and with qualifying to the next round as group leaders,” said Crespo.
“The victory came after a very difficult match, both technically and physically. Although we were behind in the first half as a result of leaving spaces for the opponents and making some mistakes, we entered the second half with full concentration and succeeded in achieving a comeback and took home the three points,” he said.
Meanwhile, Foolad Khouzestan FC are on the brink of qualifying to the Round of 16 after edging Al Gharafa 1-0 in their Group C tie at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium on Friday.
The Iranian club remained at the top of their group, thanks to an early goal by Brazilian striker Shimba while Al Gharafa were left heartbroken as the defeat left them with no chance of advancing to the next stage.
However, head coach Andrea Stramaccioni praised his young players for showing great character following a big defeat earlier in the week.
“If we forget the last game (against Shabab Al Ahli Dubai), Al Gharafa have played well and we have one more match to go. It has been a long time since the team played in the AFC Champions League but now we have a good crop of players and we can build for the future,” he said.