Al Sadd head coach Xavi Hernandez said the 2-2 draw against Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr in their opening AFC Champions League Group D match was a fair result for the two teams.
The hosts romped to a quick start, taking the lead inside seven minutes through Abderazzaq Hamdallah. The home fans’ joy lasted just two minutes as Baghdad Bounedjah struck the equaliser for Al Sadd in the ninth minute. Captain Hassan al-Haydos put Sadd ahead in the 48th minute, but five minutes later Al Nassr left-back Abdulrahman al-Obeid pounced on a poor defensive clearance to unleash a powerful drive into the top corner, bringing the game level again.
Speaking after the match, Xavi said: “The draw was a fair result for the two teams. We were close to winning and also, we could have lost. I enjoyed my team’s performance and we now have to work for the remaining matches in the Champions League which will definitely be difficult.”
He added: “It was a very difficult match. Al Nassr is a good team and has excellent players such as Amrabat and Hamdallah, and the last quarter-final match against them was the same level. I hope that everyone enjoyed the match, both the fans of Nassr and Sadd. I am happy with the mentality of Sadd players in the game. I was hoping to win, but we got a good point.”
Xavi said the absence of key players like Salem al-Hajri, Ali Asad and Abdulkarim Hassan had impact on the result. While al-Hajri and Ali Asad are injured, Hassan is serving a suspension. “Losing Salem al-Hajri, Ali Asad and Abdulkarim Hassan at the same time due to injury and suspension is not an easy thing, but this is not an excuse and we must work with the rest of the players. Our group is difficult, as it includes the Iranian team Sepahan who won away at Al Ain. Also, the strength of Nassr was visible today, so we must give our best to qualify for the second round,” he said.
The result means Sepahan top the Group D, following their emphatic 4-0 away victory against Al Ain who find themselves bottom, while Al Sadd take second place ahead of Al Nassr with both teams collecting a point from their first match. Al Sadd host Sepahan next week, while Al Nassr travel to Al Ain.
Regragui pleased
with Duhail’s win
Al Duhail’s coach Walid Regragui was delighted with his team’s 2-0 win over Iran’s Persepolis in the opening match on Tuesday. Regragui’s men settled the tie inside the first 15 minutes with a quick double-salvo. Almoez Ali’s persistence coupled with a lack of discipline from Persepolis defender allowed Mario Mandzukic to get his first goal in Asia’s prime club competition in the fifth minute. The Iranian defenders stopped playing and protested an alleged shove by the Croatian as the ball fell to Ali who caught it before it went out of play, then crossed for Mandzukic who was left with a simple header from close range to open the scoring.
In the 13th minute, Al Duhail were again the more alert of the two sides, capitalising on another defensive mistake as Han Kwang-song collected the loose ball at the edge of the area and set up Edmilson with a deft through pass. The Brazilian fired low with his left to put the game beyond doubt with less than a quarter of an hour played. The result means Al Duhail top Group C after all teams had played their first match, with Al Taawoun second with three points. Meanwhile, Sharjah and Persepolis occupy the last two spots respectively.
“I want to congratulate our players for the way they played especially in the first half. I wasn’t too happy with second half performance. We took advantage of the opportunities that we got in the first half, which proved crucial in the end,” Regragui said.
“But overall we can be better but I am happy with this result against Persepolis. Edmilson was the star of the match and Ahmed Yasser, Mehdi Benatia and Mandzukic also played well,” he added.
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