All to play for as Sadd take on Foolad in second leg

Al Sadd coach Hussain Ammouta (second right) instructs his players during a training session.By Joe Koraith/DohaThrough a combination of luck and some old school grit, Al Sadd were the only team from Qatar to qualify for the pre-quarter-finals of the Asian Champions League. They did it despite winning just two out of their six matches. They conceded 14 goals in their group stage campaign, the second-worst by any team. But when it came to a must-win match against UAE’s Al Ahli, with qualification at stake, Sadd players dug in and a came up with a 2-1 win that saw them progress.And today, Sadd players will have to show similar character when they take on Iran’s Foolad Khouzestan in the second leg of the pre-quarter-finals which will take place at the Ghadir Stiadium in Ahwaz, Iran. Sadd have a lot of numbers against them. The three away matches that Sadd played in the group stage resulted in a draw and two big losses – 0-5 against Al Hilal and 0-4 against Foolad Sepahan. They have managed to score only once in their away matches and conceded 10 goals. Their opponents, Foolad, on the other hand, have been one of the tightest defence units in the group stage, having conceded only three goals in six games. Their goalkeeper Sousha Makani has the record for the most clean sheets in this tournament (among the teams playing currently) having not conceded in three matches. But despite the odds seemingly against them, Sadd can draw some inspiration from their performance during the goalless draw in the first leg. Though Sadd didn’t manage to score in their home encounter, they did manage to have majority of the possession and created quite a few chances that could have found the back of the net. Sadd’s Khalfan Ibrahim was the man of the match for his efforts and he was the one who came closest to scoring the winner. If Sadd can keep possession of the ball and, more importantly, convert their chances, they can progress to the quarter-finals.“The final result is very much dependant on how much we can control the game from the beginning and how we can manage it all the way until the end of the game,” said Sadd coach Hussain Ammouta yesterday.“Foolad’s strikers are physically very powerful, unlike ours. Tomorrow we are planning to field Yousef Ahmed up front, who will play a key role in our attack. I’m trying to keep the players mentally prepared and keep them highly motivated to play against a team who usually take the upper hand against any opponent when they play at home,” Amotta added.Sadd’s opponents, Foolad, will be hoping that their strong defence will help them get a favourable result.“Clearly, both sides are determined to get the best result they can in order to book a berth among the last eight in the tournament. I am pretty sure our players will be able carry out their duties on the pitch and do what they need to do to get a win,” said Foolad coach Hossein Faraki.“We know the first leg’s scoreless draw in Doha means a draw here won’t ensure we qualify for the next stage, so we have to be cautious about how we play. My lads have been told time and again that they’re not allowed to finish the game with the score tied, and we have to beat them during regulation time.“Al Sadd’s attacking line is pretty strong, but so far in the AFC Champions League we have been able to boast about our strong defence, with the least number of goals conceded.“We still have a chance to qualify and we should double our efforts in order to qualify,” Ammouta had said, after the first leg. Today Sadd players will have to produce another gritty performance and eke out that elusive away win.