Nadir Belhadj (R) was the hero of Al Sadd’s win over Al Rayyan in the QSL opener last Friday. (File photo)
By Sports Reporter/Doha
Having stolen a march over strong rivals Al Rayyan in the opening match of the Qatar Stars League last week, Al Sadd should face no problems when they clash with Al Ahli at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium today.
A 1-0 victory over Diego Aguirre’s side was just the start the defending champions needed to stamp their class early in the tournament, and a relatively easier outing against minnows Al Ahli today will offer them the perfect opportunity to consolidate their standing.
Al Ahli are playing in the QSL after winning the second division title last season and will go with an all-or-nothing attitude, something which Al Sadd coach Hussein Amotta is wary of.
“Al Sadd have often found Al Ahli a bit tough to deal with in the past and this time too we would be taking them very seriously,” Amotta said.
“They have very good players and remember they are also the second division champions and therefore very motivated, especially after their opening 1-1 draw with Al Gharafa last week.”
Congolese pro Mulota Kabangu scored on his QSL debut last week to help Al Ahli, who are being coached by Gulf veteran Milan Macala, rescue a point.
“Al Ahli also have a good coach in Macala. We cn’t let our guard down,” added Amotta. Meanwhile, Nadir Belhadj, who scored the winner for Al Sadd against Al Rayyan last week, said he hoped to continue the good work for his team.
The Al Sadd star played a crucial role in helping Hussein Amotta’s side collect their first championship shield in five years. The achievement was as big as anything he has ever achieved in his career. Now Belhadj is already dreaming of the chance to win two-in-a-row.
“Winning the league last year was a great pleasure for me.
It was a major achievement and I was so happy to win it with Al Sadd,” Belhadj said. “It was hugely important for me, as important as anything else I’ve ever won in my life. I came to Al Sadd to win trophies and so far I have been lucky enough to achieve this. Al Sadd are a club that cannot go one year without winning something, so I am happy to have been involved and play my part in such an important league.”
A stunning second-half strike from Belhadj secured all three points in their first match of the season. “Playing Al Rayyan is always a special game. I actually played against them in my first ever match in Qatar. “They are great occasions because the fans always turn up and show their interest. They are great games to play in.”
Three points in today’s match with simply reinforce the fact that Amotta’s side are in no hurry to relinquish their title. The Algerian star believes that’s only possible because of the hard work the current QSL champions put in during pre-season. The former Lens, Lyon and Portsmouth defender said: “I prefer to play at left-back although I will play wherever the coaches ask me to play. I am a professional player and I will do everything I can to help my teammates. “We had a good pre-season in Austria and Spain and hopefully the hard work we put in there is now standing us in good stead.
“You have to go through the hard work to be ready for what lies ahead.”Two-time champions Lekhwiya, meanwhile will take on Al Kharatiyat tomorrow after their shocking 3-3 draw with Al Sailiya last week. Lekhwiya also crashed out of the Asian Champions League on Wednesday, suffering a 6-1 thrashing over two legs at the hands of Guangzhou Evergrande.
Today
Al Arabi vs Al Sailiya, 6.15pm, Grand Hamad Stadium
Muaither vs Qatar SC, 6.15pm, Thani bin Jassim Stadium
Al Gharafa vs Al Khor, 8.30pm, Thani bin Jassi Stadium
Al Sadd vs Al Ahli, 8.30pm, Jassim bin Hamad Stadium
Tomorrow
Lekhwiya vs Al Kharatiyat, 6.15pm, Abdulla bin Khalifa Stadium
El Jaish vs Umm Salal, 8.30pm, Abdulla bin Khalifa Stadium
Al Rayyan vs Al Wakrah, 8.30pm, Ahmed bin Ali Stadium
