QFA
Playing with controlled aggression, Al Sadd on Sunday beat Al Arabi 3-0 to reach the final of the Amir Cup, the country’s most famous football tournament.
Winner of Amir Cup 17 times, Al Sadd on Sunday relied on goals from Nam Tae-hee (11th minute), Baghdad Bounedjah (56th minute) and Santiago Cazorla (80th minute, penalty) at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
Coached by Xavi, Al Sadd dominated set-pieces as they posted a convincing win on home soil. In the final, they will meet the winner between Al Rayyan and Al Duhail, the other two powerhouses of football in Qatar.
The semifinal between Al Rayyan and Al Duhail will be played at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Monday.
On Sunday, Al Sadd, the defending champions, kicked off the proceedings on an aggressive note, keeping most of the ball possession.
After early attacks, Al Sadd took the lead through Tae-hee, who headed home from inside the box after a cross from Yusuf Abdurisag.
Bounedhaj continued to repeatedly attack the Al Arabi box and even came close to scoring at the half-hour mark but missed the target from close range. Al Sadd had around 75 per cent of ball possession in the first half.
In the 56th minute, Bounedjah made the most of Hassan Al Haydos’s delivery to score a goal with a right-footed drive. After winning a penalty kick following a rough tackle by keeper Ibrahim, Al Sadd’s Cazorla easily converted the spot-kick for his side’s third goal with 10 minutes left on the clock