Al Duhail’s Ibrahima Bamba raises his hand in celebration after scoring the equaliser, joined by his teammates. PIC: AFC
Doha, Qatar: New signings Adil Boulbina and Krzysztof Piatek were on target as Al Duhail rallied to defeat Iran’s Sepahan SC 3-2 in the AFC Champions League (ACL) Elite preliminary round clash at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha yesterday.
Amin Hazbavi gave the visitors an early lead, but Ibrahima Bamba quickly leveled for Al Duhail. Debutants Boulbina and Piatek then struck to hand the Red Knights a commanding two-goal cushion before half-time.
Milad Zakipour pulled one back for Sepahan in stoppage time of the second half, but his goal proved to be only a consolation, as coach Djamel Belmadi began his new stint at Al Duhail with a hard-fought win and secured a place in the group stage of Asia’s premier club competition.
Al Duhail were stunned just three minutes into the match when Hazbavi capitalised following a throw-in from the left.
Left unmarked inside the box, the Sepahan defender slotted in from close range to silence the home crowd.
The hosts, however, wasted no time in bouncing back. Just eight minutes later, Bamba rose above the defense to nod home a pinpoint corner delivered by Benjamin Bourigeaud, bringing Al Duhail back on level terms.
Boulbina, who had earlier tested the goalkeeper with a powerful long-range attempt, then gave Al Duhail the lead. The Algerian forward latched onto a lofted pass from debutant Tuta, skillfully rounded a defender, and finished with a composed strike into the top left corner from the center of the box.
Piatek, who had headed wide earlier in the half, made no mistake in the 33rd minute. The Polish striker calmly slotted home to make it 3-1, as the home side took control of the game.
Al Duhail nearly extended their lead further before the break, with Bourigeaud rattling the crossbar and Boulbina narrowly missing a second goal.
In the second half, Sepahan pushed to get back into the contest, but Al Duhail goalkeeper Salah Zakaria stood firm denying efforts from Kaveh Rezaei and Mohammad Askari.
Piatek had a golden opportunity to seal the match when he was picked out by Boulbina’s precise cross, but he failed to convert from a promising position, shooting wide.
With four minutes added on in stoppage time, Zakipour struck in the penultimate minute, capitalising on a rebound after Majid Aliyari’s initial shot was blocked by Zakaria. Despite the late scare, Al Duhail held firm to secure a crucial win.
Earlier in the day, Chengdu Rongcheng booked their spot in the AFC Champions League Elite group stage for the first time in their history, defeating Bangkok United 3-0 in Chengdu.
Al Duhail and Chengdu Rongcheng will now join 22 already-qualified teams in the League Stage draw, scheduled for Friday in Kuala Lumpur.
Al Duhail will open their Qatar Stars League campaign with a game against Al Shahania at the Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday.
They finished runners-up behind champions Al Sadd in the last season.
