Al Sadd head coach Jesualdo Ferreira was a happy man on Tuesday night, after his side went top of the QNB Stars League table with a thrilling 3-1 win over Al Duhail. Speaking after the match, Ferreira said: “As I said before, the most important thing is the win and the three points. Al Duhail were not weak for most of the match; we were not deceived by their draws in their last two games. Their players have a winning mentality and they came into this game looking to win and increase the gap. But we turned up and got the win.”
The Portuguese coach was not happy with his players show and said there was room for improvement. “Despite this win, I am not satisfied with the players’ performance because they could have put a better show. I think the players’ performance needs to improve in the next period if we want to win the league,” he said.
Ferreira pointed out that the passing game of his side was not up to the mark. “It was an even match. We made a lot of mistakes in passing and the players were evidently fatigued. The pressure was more on the Al Sadd players than on Al Duhail. But I am delighted that we are on top of the league table, this has come about after a lot of effort put in by the players throughout the season,” the veteran coach said.
Ferreira paid tribute to Duhail, even saying they were better than his team on Tuesday. “Duhail were better than us in this game despite us winning it. They are capable of achieving big things after the return of their injured players. Both of us have a tough task in the upcoming period because of the absence of the players who will join the national team. Everyone knows how much Sadd and Duhail contribute to the national team and I am worried that the players will get injured. I hope they return in their best conditions, all prepared to restart the league with the same momentum,” he said.
Al Sadd have one-point advantage going into the winter break, with the league now resuming only in February after the conclusion on AFC Asian Cup. And Ferreira said it was not easy to predict who will the title. 
“For us, the first phase of the league is over now. It is difficult to predict who will win the league. There is a two-month break and we will suffer more than Duhail due to the absence of the international players. I don’t know what we will do without these players,” he said.