Sports
Al Duhail on course for clean sweep after Qatar Cup win
Olunga and Sassi score as Duhail beat arch rivals Al Sadd 2-0 in the final
April 07, 2023 | 10:35 PM
Hernan Crespo’s first season as coach of Al Duhail in Qatar could not have gone much better, with the former Argentina striker still on course for a domestic quadruple after clinching a second trophy in the space of 10 days on Thursday night.Qatar is proving fertile territory for Argentines, after their World Cup victory in December, and Crespo’s Duhail are chasing a clean sweep of domestic silverware.At the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium on Thursday, Duhail beat arch rivals Al Sadd 2-0 to win the Qatar Cup final, after winning the Ooredoo cup on March 28 with a 1-0 victory over Umm Salal. Michael Olunga (48th minute) and Ferjani Sassi (54th minute) were the scorers as Duhail won their third Qatar Cup, after 2015 and 2018.Duhail are also top of the QNB Stars League, two points ahead of closest rivals Al Arabi with a game in hand with a month remaining in the season. They have also reached the quarter-finals of the Emir of Qatar Cup, and will face Al Sailiya on Monday.It has not been all plain sailing for Crespo, whose team suffered a humiliating 7-0 loss at home to Saudi Arabian champions Al Hilal in February, as they played in the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League for the first time. Yet having refocused on the domestic front, things have gone from strength to strength for the Argentine. "I am thrilled we have added another title to the club’s coffers," said Crespo, whose coaching career has included spells in Italy, Argentina and Brazil, winning the Copa Sudamericana with Argentina’s Defensa y Justicia and the Brazilian Paulista title with Sao Paulo in 2021."The team put in a great performance throughout the match. I know the importance of this championship and we feel proud of our success in winning the title for the third time in the club’s history. Al Sadd is a great team and has won many tournaments. The task was not easy, and we succeeded in playing in a balanced manner and we did a great job between the lines. We must prepare ourselves for the challenges that await us, and we hope to continue with this great desire so that we can continue the victories," Crespo added.Duhail captain Almoez Ali said he was proud of the team’s achievement and said the goal is to win more titles. "We will continue to work with full force to win more titles. We always strive to provide a performance befitting the reputation of Al Duhail and this achievement is a gift to our fans, who are the great supporters of the team," he said.Striker Michael Olunga said: "This title would give us more motivation in the remaining tournaments of the season. Winning the Qatar Cup is a great joy and our players were up to the challenge and responsibility. We succeeded to win with a distinguished and convincing performance, as the team was focused from start to finish."Al Sadd have been three-time Qatar Cup champions, having won it in 2017, 2020 and 2021, since the tournament was relaunched under its new name in 2014.
April 07, 2023 | 10:35 PM