Doha: Al Sadd coach Hussein Amotta () is delighted that all the hard work put in by his team has paid off as the former winners advanced to the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League (ACL) on away goals after a thrilling 2-2 draw with Iranian champions Foolad Khouzestan on Wednesday.
The Qatari side had been held to a goalless draw in the first leg in Doha but they grabbed the initiative in the return match at Ghadir Stadium with goals by Nadir Belhadj and Khalfan Ibrahim giving them a 2-0 lead in the opening half-hour.
The visitors were more cautious after the interval and Foolad hit back with a pair of late goals by Chimba after Al Sadd had been reduced to 10 men following the dismissal of defender Abdelkarim Hassan.
However, the 2011 winners hung on to clinch the tie on away goals and secure a spot in the draw for the last eight on May 28.
“I had said before the match that we could qualify,” said Amotta.
“It was a 50-50 chance for either teams before the kick-off but our chance rose to 100% during the match. We took advantage of the conditions in the match and qualified.
“Foolad had a good performance but we did a great job to control their players and we achieved the result we had wanted. Tactically, we performed well although we had failed to obtain the preferred result in the first leg.
“We started to play offensively from the beginning of the match, and it was after our second goal when Foolad lost the tie,” added the Moroccan.“It was natural for our team to get back into our own half especially when Esmaeel Sharifat came on at the start of the second half. The substitutions by Foolad was the reason why we decided to play with more caution but finally we got what we had come for.”
Having drawn 0-0 in Doha in the first leg of the Round of 16 clash, Al Sadd grabbed the initiative in the return match with goals by Nadir Belhadj and Khalfan Ibrahim in the opening half-hour.
However, the Qatari side had to endure a nervous finish as defender Abdelkarim Hassan was sent off with 14 minutes left and they conceded twice to Chimba.
But to the disappointment of the home fans, Omid Khaledi headed against the woodwork in stoppage time as the Iranian side bowed out of the tournament despite not losing any of their eight games.
Foolad Khouzestan coach Hossein Faraki was left disappointed after his team’s attempt at a remarkable late comeback against Al Sadd fell just shot
“What happened in the match was tough for us as we were beaten by away goals,” said Faraki.
“But that is football is and we are now eliminated from the competition although we were not defeated.
“We equalised against a team which has experienced and professional players with very big contracts,” he added.
“Our players lost because of their inexperience and amateurism.
“We didn’t value our chances and that helped our opponent to get past us.The Peninsula
