Al Sadd players celebrate with the trophy after winning the 2015 Emir Cup yesterday; (right) Sadd captain Talal al-Baloushi and Khalfan Ibrahim during the trophy presentation.
By Joe Koraith/Doha
What makes a champion team? A footballing giant? Would 65 titles suffice? And that’s the incredible number of trophies that Al Sadd have won after they added the 2015 Emir Cup to their kitty yesterday.
A packed Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium was witness to a solid performance from defending champions Sadd which saw them beat El Jaish 2-1 thanks to a brace from their Brazilian striker Muriqui. The number 9 was signed last year but hasn’t been able to make a huge impact this season. He did score a brace in last season’s Sheikh Jassim Cup to help Sadd defeat Lekhwiya. But the Brazilian, who holds the record for the most number of goals scored in an AFC Champions League tournament, didn’t have the best of times in the 2014-15 Qatar Stars League season, where he had a long layoff due to an injury. But he showed his goal-scoring prowess right when his team needed it and helped Sadd to a record 15th Emir Cup title.
Sadd coach Hussein Ammouta also made a bit of history himself when he achieved a rare double. He has now won two Emir Cup trophies as a coach and two as a player earlier.
During the Emir Cup semi-final press conference, Ammouta had said that he believed that his team had the weapons to win this title and that proved to be the case. In the very second minute of the game, Sadd skipper Talal al-Baloushi stole the ball from a Jaish defender and gave a great pass to Muriqui who turned and shot it into the net to give his side the lead.
It was the best start to the match that Sadd would have wanted. Jaish were stunned by that early strike but got back their composure and set about attacking the Sadd goal. Sadd, having got the early advantage, were now content to absorb the pressure and were focusing on attacking on the counter.
Jaish enjoyed a sustained period of possession all the way till around the 35th minute during which they created many chances but couldn’t get that final touch. Abdulgadir Ilyas, in the 20th minute having got a through pass from Romarinho, got a shot in from the edge of the box but it was just wide of the far post. Just a minute later Romarinho effected a great turn and shoot procedure, only to see Sadd goalkeeper Saad al-Sheeb pull off a great one-handed save to deny him.
It was only towards the end of the first half that Sadd began to find their attacking feet. Muriqui got a chance to double the lead when Nadir Belhadj sent in a great cross but the Brazilian could only manage to hit the Jaish keeper Ahmed Sufyan.
The second half saw Sadd, no doubt courtesy an Ammouta hairdryer treatment during the break, on the attack again. The half saw the Wolves trying to push forward instead of letting Jaish do all the attacking. Jaish, looking to increase their attacking bite, brought in Mohamed Muntari in place of Ilyas.
But it was Sadd who were now looking more threatening. In the 64th minute Sadd produced a strong counter-attack through Muriqui who passed to Khalfan Ibrahim but his shot was straight at Sufyan.
Then just two minutes later, just as Jaish were getting their break back, Sadd scored their second. Belhadj fired in a shot that was blocked by keeper Sufyan but the rebound fell kindly to Muriqui who made no mistake and got his second goal of the match.
To Jaish’s credit, they didn’t give up and the wily Romarinho was at the centre of it but this Brazilian couldn’t change the end result despite getting a consolation right at the end of the match, in the 93rd minute.
Jaish were also runners-up in the 2015 Qatar Cup and now they have had to endure another defeat after reaching yet another final. But no one can begrudge Sadd this title. Despite having only three days to prepare for this match, they got the early goal and then produced a rock solid game to emerge victorious. Sadd missed out on the QSL title but this Emir Cup triumph ensured that they end the local football season on an extremely high note.