Boualem Khoukhi celebrates after scoring a goal.
Doha: Boualem Khoukhi scored twice to give Al Sadd an impressive 2-1 win over Al Ahli Saudi FC in their 2018 AFC Champions League (ACL) Round of 16 first leg match yesterday.
On their home turf, the Algerian defender scored in the third and 28th minutes before Al Ahli added their only goal in the second half.
This was the first time the two teams met in the AFC Champions League and Al Sadd made the occasion memorable by striking the first goal just three minutes after the kick off.
Assisted by the Barca legend Xavi Hernandez, Khoukhi scored the first goal of the evening with a left footed shot from the centre of the box, beating Al Ahli goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais, to the bottom left corner.
Khoukhi enjoyed a perfect evening as he doubled Al Sadd’s advantage in the 28th minute with a powerful header past Al Owais following Baghdad Bounedjah’s cross from the right.
In between, coach Jesualdo Ferreirsa’s men missed several opportunities to score.
Four minutes after the first goal was scored, Xavi shot at the goal from close range after receiving a cross from Bounedjah, but Al Ahli goalkeeper was lucky this time. In the very next minute, Al Sadd’s Hasan Al Haydos fired another one from the centre of the box but the result was the same.
Bounedjah fired a shot from the centre of the box following a cross by Xavi from the corner, in the 11th minute, but Al Owais held onto it and spoiled the effort.
Xavi once again displayed his brilliance by setting up another opportunity just before Khoukhi’s second goal and Al Haydos took his shot from outside the box, only to see a goal being denied by Al Owais, who blocked it at the bottom right corner.
Al Sadd led 2-0 at half time.
It was also the first occasion Al Ahli conceded goals in the first half of their matches in the Champions League this year.
The visitors reduced the deficit just after the second half began.
Al Ahli’s Mohannad Aseri headed the ball into the net from the centre of the box after receiving a cross from Amiri Kurdi in the 47th minute.
The visitors enjoyed most of the ball possession, but in the dying moments of the match, Al Sadd were trying hard to add more to their goal tally.
Tournament’s top scorer Bounedjah could not add any during yesterday’s match, but created several chances, twice in the injury time against the Saudi Arabian side.
In the injury time, Bounedjah assisted with a through ball and Xavi’s powerful kick saw the ball flying over the crossbar.
Bounedjah once again floated a cross, this time Akram Afif directed the ball towards the goal but was saved at top left corner by Al Owais.
The result leaves the tie nicely poised going into next week’s second leg in Jeddah’s King Abdullah Sports City.
