Al Sadd went on to lose 0-1 to Al Khor in Week 21, where Al Duhail beat Al Markhiya 4-2. However, Sadd ensured the runners-up position with 46 points so far, 11 less than Duhail, ahead of their final-week clash against Al Kharaitiyat.
Had Sadd beaten Duhail, things might have been different as only two points separated them going into their face-off. Interestingly, Sadd (27) were two points behind Duhail (29) at the end of the competition’s first phase.
There is no doubt that Sadd gained much from their campaign. They performed consistently well throughout the tournament. There had been a remarkable improvement in their game technically under much-experienced Portuguese coach Jesualdo Ferreira.
They made very limited changes to their squad this season, with all four professional players — former Barcelona superstar and World Cup winner Xavi Hernandez of Spain, Algerians Baghdad Bounedjah as well as Jugurtha Hamroun and Iran international Morteza Mohammed — staying.
Sadd recruited a number of players during the winter transfer window, namely Hamed Ismail, Ali Faridoun, Sami Sabit, Abdulkarim Hassan and Akram Afif. Al Sadd won the most number of games (15), after Al Duhail (18). At the same time, they have the best defence, conceding 24 goals, one less than Al Duhail.
They were the second best in terms of the number of goals scored (59) compared to Al Duhail’s 81. Al Sadd can still look forward to many tournaments, such as the Qatar Cup, Emir’s Cup and AFC Champions League. They are the defending champions in the Qatar Cup and Emir’s Cup, and will take on Al Rayyan in the semi-final that features the elite four from the QNB Stars League.