Al Sadd’s forward Baghdad Bounedjah (right) is congratulated by team-mate Akram Afif after scoring during the AFC Champions League football match against UAE’s Al Wasl at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha yesterday.
DOHA: Algerian forward Baghdad Bounedjah struck twice as Qatari football giants Al Sadd advanced to the last 16 stage of the 2018 AFC Champions League with a convincing 2-1 win over UAE’s Al Wasl.
At Al Sadd Stadium yesterday, the 26-year-old scored in the 9th and 53rd minutes to take his overall goal tally to seven in five matches.
Bounedjah pounced on Abdulrahman Ali’s underhit back-pass before calmly slotting past Yousif Abdulla to give Al Sadd an early breakthrough to open the scoring.
Al Sadd then extended their advantage in the 59th minute, when Bounedjah convered Akram Afif’s low cross with a back-heeled finish.
Bounedjah, already the top scorer of this year’s AFC Champions League, almost completed his hat-trick in the final minute after being set up by Afif once again, but the striker somehow miscued his shot with the goal at his mercy. Deep into added on time, Al Wasl pulled a goal back after Caio Canedo’s deft finish crept past Al Dosari.
In injury time, Al Wasl reduced the deficit when Caio scored in the 92nd minute.
Despite the late strike by the visitors, Al Sadd dominated the proceedings in both halves to complete their fourth win of this year’s AFC Champions League.
Meanwhile, in Tehran, Iran, Esteghlal beat Qatar’s Al Rayyan 2-0 to book their place in the knock-out stage.
At a fully packed Azadi Stadium yesterday, the hosts got off to a flying start in the Group D fixture and needed just four minutes to open the scoring.
Server Djeparov converted a cross from Farshid Esmaeili past goalkeeper Oumar Barry.
Al Rayyan captain Rodrigo Tabata attempted his luck from long distance, but his strike went wide in the 20th minute as the Qatari side intensified the pressure in an effort to find an equaliser.
Esteghlal doubled their lead 13 minutes after the restart as Vouria Ghafouri stepped up to drive home from the penalty spot to make it 2-0.
The result means Esteghlal are through to the Round of 16 while Al Rayyan will have to battle Al Ain for the second Group D ticket in two weeks’ time.
