Wesam Rizik praised his players after Al Sadd SC rediscovered their best form to defeat Sharjah FC 2-0 to keep their AFC Champions League 2023/24 hopes alive on Monday.
A goal in each half from Gonzalo Plato and Baghdad Bounedjah earned the Qatar side all three points. The win took 2011 AFC champions League winners Al Sadd to seven points, with the Qatari side to play Group B leaders FC Nasaf of Uzbekistan – who are three ahead at the top – in their final tie on Monday.
Rizik, who replaced head coach Bruno Miguel on an interim basis last week, said he was proud of the character his players showed. “We played a strong match from which we got the three points. The players played with a high fighting spirit. We controlled the first half and scored, and in the second half, we played with great balance until Baghdad (Bounedjah) added the second goal. We achieved an important victory that keeps our chances alive until the last round. I am proud of what the players presented today, and I thank them very much for the strong performance that gave us the points,” said the former Al Sadd player.
“I have had the honour of being an Al Sadd player and now as a coach for the team. I hope the last round will be in our favour and we will win the ticket to advance.”
The group is set for an exciting finish with Sharjah, on eight points, also very much in the mix for the top spot, which would mean automatic qualification to the Round of 16.
Galtier looks at positives as Al Duhail make exit Al Duhail SC finally found their winning touch but it was not enough as they crashed out of the AFC Champions League on Monday.
Michael Olunga netted both goals as the Qatar champions defeated Tajikistan’s FC Istiklol, but with the Al Nassr-Persepolis FC tie ending in a goalless stalemate, Al Duhail’s hopes of advancing to the Round of 16 were dashed.
Christophe Galtier admitted that Al Duhail found it hard to compete with their Group E opponents. “There is a big difference between the teams we faced. Al Nassr have high-quality attacking players, while Istiklol are very adept. Today we achieved the result we sought, and the good defensive performance is what prevented the opposing team from scoring. Nevertheless we must work and improve from one match to another, and our victory does not mean that there are no mistakes that must be corrected if we want to win titles,” said Frenchman Galtier.
The win against Istiklol took Al Duhail to four points from five matches, a poor return considering they had made the AFC Champions League semi-finals for the first time in 2022. Galtier, however, was pleased with how his side performed against Istiklol. “We played better in the second half as there was a reaction from the players and we created opportunities and succeeded in reaching the net.”
Al Duhail end their campaign against Persepolis on December 5.