Pic: Rajan Vadakkemuriyil / The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: Mateus Uribe fired the extra time winner as 10-man Al Sadd edged gutsy Qatar SC 1-0 in a thrilling final to clinch the record-extending 19th Amir Cup title at Education City Stadium yesterday.
The Colombian midfielder’s shot in the left corner after substitute Pedro Miguel’s initial attempt ricocheted off a defender in 118th minute gave Wesam Rizk’s side a much-deserving victory and their first Amir Cup title since 2021. They were beaten by Al Arabi 3-0 in the title clash last year.
The Wolves, who have now completed the season’s double having also won the Expo Stars League, were jolted following a red card to star Akram Afif, who was punished for a dangerous tackle against Bruno Tabata in 109th minute.
But they bounced back strongly from the setback with Miguel making an impact just three minutes after he was sent in by Rizk ahead of the impending penalty shootout. The Qatar defender stormed from the right and after his strike was rebounded, Uribe chipped in the all-important goal sending Al Sadd fans into raptures. It is Al Sadd’s 79th overall title.
Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani handed the trophy to Algerian striker Baghdad Bounedjah, who led Al Sadd in the last match of his eight-year stint with the club, and regular captain Hassan Al Haydos with 36,175 fans creating a cauldron-like atmosphere at the iconic venue.
“The Amir Cup title was a priority for me and it’s like a dream come true,” said Bounedjah after lifting the trophy.
“It was a collective effort and I want to thank my teammates for their hardwork in achieving this victory.”
It was an emotional title triumph for coach Rizk too.
“From the beginning my main target was winning the prestigious Amir Cup, and I am so delighted to lift the trophy and complete a double this season,” the Al Sadd coach said.
“The players put in their best effort to win the final. Overall, it was a collective effort from entire Al Sadd team including the technical officials.”
Though Youssef Al Noubi’s Qatar SC had some good moments in the final, Al Sadd dominated in the regulation time that produced pulsating action but ended in a goaless draw with two of attempts from Rizk’s men hitting the woodwork.
Gonzalo Plata gave Qatar SC an early scare as the Wolves tried to gain an upper hand right from the start, but goalkeeper Sataa Abdulnaser Al Abbasi thwarted the attempt by the Ecuador forward in the fifth minute.
From there on the title clash picked top gear and Yohan Boli forced Meshaal Barsham into action for the first time with a threatening hit from outside the box. Qatar SC’s in-form Tabata squandered a golden chance in the following action firing the ball over the bar from a good position.
Al Abbasi then stopped Uribe’s strike from a long range with Afif and Bounedjah also attempting to score bringing spectators to their feet.
Afif was constantly putting pressure on Qatar SC’s defence from the left flank and the Qatar star had almost put his side ahead at the half-hour mark but Al Abbasi did well to block his attempted cross that was on target.
Barsham didn’t find much difficulty in clearing Abdullah Al Ahrak’s shot from outside the box, and then stopped Boli’s volley from a close range as Qatar SC regrouped at the end of first half after surviving a barrage of attacks from Al Sadd.
Boli was cautioned for a rash challenge against Tarek Salman as Al Sadd resumed their quest for a goal maintaining their aggressive display.
An Afif-led attack from the right in 65th minute brought Al Sadd closest to scoring their first goal but Al Abbasi didn’t give the Qatar star much room for proper execution following which Qatar SC were lucky not to concede a goal as Bounedjah’s shot struck the bar.
Qatar SC responded through a dangerous Boli header from the centre but that couldn’t beat Barsham.
Al Sadd continued their attempts and were denied a goal by the woodwork again when Uribe’s attempt hit the right post with 10 minutes left. Substitute Moustafa Tarek then saw his header picked by a diving Al Abbasi.
Afif’s ambitious hit from a distance in stoppage time was too high as the final moved to extra time.
The feared forward took another fiery shot from outside the box in first half of extra time, just missing the target, before Al Sadd fans cheered for legend Al Haydos, who came off the bench to replace Mohammed Waad.
Al Sadd then ended Qatar SC’s fine journey in the Amir Cup through Uribe’s strike after Afif was red carded following a VAR check.
Al Noubi’s men were phenomenal beating the likes of Al Rayyan and Al Gharafa to reach the tournament’s final for the first time in 20 years.
