Alkass Digital
The painful exit at the King Salman Club Cup after losing to Iraqi side Al Shorta in the quarter-finals left Al Sadd side disappointed, and the team’s Assistant Coach Emmanuel Infante couldn’t hide his frustration during the post-match press conference.
Substitute Aso Rostam bagged a brace in Al Shorta’s victory, while Ameer Sabah and Ahmed Farhan also contributed with goals.
Al Sadd’s star striker Akram Afif scored both their goals, one from the penalty spot in the 24th minute and another in the 80th minute, but that couldn’t prevent the Wolves’ defeat.
Infante praised Al Sadd’s performance early in the first half, where they held control of the ball, before Al Shorta seemed to have shaken Al Sadd’s confidence with the equaliser in the 32nd minute.
Commenting on the team’s performance in the decisive last-eight clash, Infante admitted that the mistakes cost them a lot.
“I must admit, being at the beginning of the season, we made several mistakes. In these tightly contested matches, the smallest details matter, and our errors contributed to Al Shorta scoring 4 goals despite our strong start,” the Portuguese coach said.
Al Sadd’s new signing - Moroccan defender Romain Saiss – was a notable absentee from the playing XI, but Infante clarified that Saiss wasn’t fully ready to play and required more time to reach peak fitness.
Al Sadd’s next assignment will be the opening round of the Qatar Stars League season which kicks off on August 16. The former champions will take on Umm Salal on August 18 at Al Bayt Stadium,
“We aren’t fully prepared at this point, especially during the team’s preparation phase. Nevertheless, we take pride in our players and have great confidence in their abilities as we approach the start of the season with full determination,” Intante said, expressing confidence in his players’ abilities ahead of the upcoming season.
Meanwhile, Al Sadd club yesterday announced their Brazilian striker Giovani Henrique underwent a successful surgery at Aspetar Hospital on Saturday.
Giovanni sustained an injury to his cruciate ligament and cartilage during the team’s friendly match against Moroccan side Raja Casablanca in Doha.