Alkass Digital
Yohan Boli hailed Al Rayyan’s commitment following their 1-0 victory over FC Istiklol of Tajikistan in their AFC Champions League 2022 Group A tie on Saturday.
The match was headed for a goalless draw at the King Fahd International Stadium but Al Rayyan dug deep with Boli producing a sublime free-kick to seal the vital win seconds from the final whistle.
Al Rayyan moved up to 10 points with a final match left to play against Al Hilal SFC, who needed two late goals to salvage a 2-2 draw against UAE’s Sharjah.
Boli’s stunning free-kick was his third goal of the tournament and the French-born forward shared the joy with his team-mates.
“We expected the match to be very difficult and that was exactly how it turned out to be,” said player of the match Boli.
“The result we got today was not because of just one or a few players. It is the result of the collective efforts of all the players starting from the defenders to the forwards. Everyone did their part to earn the vital win,” he said.
Al Rayyan head coach Nicolas Cordova praised his players for fighting till the last minute.
“We knew from the beginning that this match was going to be very difficult,” said Cordova. “Especially since Istiklol don’t leave spaces for other teams, however, we were patient and continued to make our way into the final third.”