Al Duhail coach Portuguese Rui Faria was delighted after leading his team to Amir Cup title at the Al Janoub Stadium on Thursday night. The Red Knights came back from a goal and a man down to beat QNB Stars League champions Al Sadd 4-1 in a thrilling encounter.
After striker Almoez Ali was sent off in the 26th minute, Duhail staged a remarkable comeback, scoring three goals in the second half to stun Sadd. The star of the show was Edmilson as the Duhail winger scored two superb goals and set up another. Youssef El Arabi, who came on as a substitute for an off colour Shoya Nakajima, also had a crucial hand in the victory, while Akram Afif was terrific for full ninety minutes. “The sending off striker Almoez Ali made it difficult for us, but the players did a fantastic job and put in an exceptional performance to win the title,” said Faria.
It was their first trophy under Faria, who took over from Nabil Maaloul in January. They also banished their disappointment of finishing second behind Al Sadd in the league and had also lost to Al Rayyan on penalties in the season-opening Sheikh Jassim Cup last August. Faria also extended his thanks to the board of the club for their support to the team and the players for ending the season on a high.
Ali Afif, who cancelled out his brother Akram Afif’s early opener for Sadd, was unstoppable on the night. “We put out our best performance of the event in the final,” said Afif. “The match was great. They also played well but we stuck to our guns and dominated the match. We were united on the pitch. We hope we can play even better when the next season starts. I applaud our team management for taking care of all the needs of the players,” said Afif.
Midfielder Luiz Martin paid credit to Faria for showing his faith in the team and set his eyes on winning the AFC Champions League, where the team has reached the knockout stage. “It’s amazing. Our coach is new but he believed in us. We now want to win the AFC Champions League,” said Martin.
Assem Madibo said unity was their main strength. “We showed what we could do on the pitch. We fought all the way and we played as one unit. There were opportunities to score. The players did not lack in any way. We are very happy with this performance. We deserved to win,” said Madibo.
Adnan al-Ali, CEO of Al Duhail, was delighted with the team’s achievement. “This is a great achievement for us. The real efforts have been put in by the players. May God Bless them for their efforts. The players showed great responsibility. Even the backroom staff worked hard. The result we see today gives us an unbelievable feeling of happiness,” he said.
Before the much-anticipated kicked off, the Al Janoub Stadium, the first purpose-built stadium for the 2022 World Cup was inaugurated. The ground, designed by late British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid and located in a coastal town south of Doha, erupted into cheers as finalists Al Sadd and Al Duhail ran onto the pitch.
The venue’s distinctive retractable roof – meant to resemble the sails of a traditional dhow fishing boat – is made of 1,400 pieces and was shipped to Qatar from Italy. It was plunged into darkness for the pre-match show and performers assembled around a giant illuminated inflatable pearl on the centre of the manicured pitch. A video describing the Gulf nation’s history as a pearling station played on the ground’s two big screens. The pearl then slowly transformed into a representation of the Amir Cup trophy before a 150-strong marching band serenaded the stadium.
Former Dutch international Ruud Gullit, who attended the ground’s maiden game, called it “a beautiful stadium”. “You go on the pitch and you want to play,” said the former captain of the Netherlands side that won the European Championship in 1988. “The design is fantastic, and of course there’s the air conditioning.”
Al Duhail players and officials celebrate after their Amir Cup triumph at the Al Janoub Stadium on Thursday night. PICTURES: Noushad Thekkayil
