Doha, Qatar: Head coach Felix Sanchez expressed his delight after Al Sadd showcased their resilience, coming from behind to defeat Al Wasl FC 3-1 and 4-2 on aggregate on Monday night, securing a place in the AFC Champions League Elite quarter-finals.
Al Sadd conceded an early goal as Fabio Lima put Al Wasl ahead at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. However, the 2011 champions quickly responded, leveling the score with goals from Mostafa Meshaal and Youcef Atal before Akram Afif’s brilliant strike sealed the win.
“We achieved an important victory and qualified for the quarter-finals which we deserved,” said Sanchez.
“We played an excellent match against Al Wasl, a big club. It is good to qualify for this stage, and we are moving in the tournament step by step until we reach the furthest point we can reach.
“We thank the fans for their support and we promise them to continue to give our best, we are now among the best eight teams in Asia and we will strive to give more.”
Disappointment was etched on the face of Al Wasl head coach Milos Milojevic, who rued how his side were not able to extend their dominance beyond the first 15 minutes as they exited the competition having reached the knockout stage for the first time.
“We played the first 15 minutes brilliantly, then it was a setback. This is football, if you are not focused you lose. We made small mistakes but they were very costly,” said Milojevic.
“The game after that became open and it was a style that suited Al Sadd and they scored three goals. We made small mistakes that had a big impact on the team and we lost as a result.”
