Al Sadd’s Akram Hassan (left) vies for the ball with Esteghlal’s Humam Tarek during their match at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha yesterday.
DOHA: A slick penalty in injury time by Baghdad Bounedjah yesterday sealed Al Sadd’s passage to the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League (ACL) after a thrilling encounter with Iran’s Esteghlal.
Al Sadd, a two-time winners of the Asian club championship, yesterday drew 2-2 against Esteghlal to complete a 5-3 win on aggregate at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
Coached by Jesualdo Ferreira, Al Sadd arrived for the return leg on home soil with a 3-1 cushion having beaten their Iranian rivals in the first leg at Azadi Stadium.
Al Sadd’s goals were scored by Akram Afif (27) and Bounedjah (90 + 2). Esteghlal, who played most part of the second half with 10 men, were lifted by goals by Rouhollah Bagheri (32) and Morteza Tabrizi (49).
In the semi-final, Al Sadd face Persepolis who yesterday edged out Qatari outfit Al Duhail in the other quarter-final.
“It feels great to have reached the semi-finals of this prestigious championship,” Al Sadd captain Hassan Al Haydos said after the thrilling contest under lights.
“We have worked extremely hard to reach thus far. The players have put in great efforts all through the AFC Champions League so far,” he added.
“I want to say ‘well done’ to the players and want to thank the fans for their support,” Al Haydos said. “It was a great team effort. Hopefully we go all the way,” he added.
It was a great game for young Afif who sparkled throughout the clash with exciting moves.
After Esteghlal’s Rouzbeh Cheshmi picked up a yellow for a reckless tackle, Afif opened the scoring with a right-footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner after a slick assist by Bounedjah in the 27th minute.
Five minutes later, Esteghlal hit back through Bagheri who produced a left-footed shot from the centre of the box to the high centre of the goal after a neat assist by a cross from Humam Tareq. A couple of minutes later, Esteghlal had an opportunity to take lead but Cheshmi’s header from the centre of the box went high and wide to the left of the goal-post after a neat set-piece move initiated by Farshid Esmaeili. Five minutes from the first-half whistle, Esteghlal managed to block a dangerous header by Abdelkarim Hassan from the centre of the box.
Two minutes later, tireless Afif - after a cross by Al Haydos - charged towards the Esteghlal box but his right-footed shot from outside the box missed the target narrowly. Just four minutes into the second half, Esteghlal grabbed the lead. Tabrizi headed home off the high centre into the goal off an Esmaeili cross, following a corner kick, leaving Al Sadd fans stunned.
Al Sadd players, however, did not give up. In the 55th minute, Afif hit the left post with a left-footed shot from the left side of the box following an assist by Hassan. Coach Ferreira benched Al Haydos in the 70th minute by bringing in Yasser Abou Baker but Al Sadd retained their composure to attack Esteghlal box regularly.
In the 90th minute, Esteghlal keeper Mehdi Rahmati brought down Afif inside his own box and the referee promptly pointed to the penalty spot. Bounedjah calmly slotted the ball past Rahmati as Al Sadd celebrated their second goal that gave them a 5-3 cushion in injury time.
“It was an amazing fight. We worked as a team,” influential midfielder Hassan said yesterday.
“We hope we can continue like this. We have done well in this year’s championship. We have won the title in the past,” he added.
