* Reds take on Monterrey in semi-final on Wednesday
Al Sadd, who missed out on a semi-final date with European champions Liverpool at the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar, had something to smile about as Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp heaped praise on the Qatari champions.
He also had positive things to say about Arab football in general.
Sadd lost in the quarter-finals by a narrow 2-3 margin to Mexican side Monterrey, which ended their hopes of playing against the Premier League leaders Liverpool in the last four on Wednesday.
Klopp, who watched Sadd in action from his base in Anfield, felt the Qatar Stars League side played "good football" and "could have gone through". “It's not too easy for us to watch too much Arabic football in Europe. But what I saw from Al Sadd was really good,” the German said on Tuesday at Khalifa International Stadium.
“They are playing for Xavi, one of the best football players in the world with a big career and now as a coach. You could see that in the game as well, it was really good football. I think they were ready and it was a tight game and it was really close and Al Sadd could have gone through,” he added.
Klopp, who was named as the best coach of the year at the FIFA Awards recently, also lauded Arab football in general.
“We have a very famous Arab player in our team in Mo Salah, I worked together with Mohamed Zidan, I played together together with Abderrahim Ouakili from Morocco – that’s my experience with these players. All (are) technically excellent and pretty quick most of them. Mahrez is one of the best players from this part of the world. Really a lot of good players, that's all,” the 52-year-old said.
The former Borussia Dortmund coach, however, said comparison between Arab clubs and European teams was not fair. “I have a lot of respect for them but we cannot compare the football because we don’t see it. We have to play our own games, that's one thing, and then the broadcast thing is about, for me, other English football or German football, that's pretty much what I can follow. But the respect couldn’t be bigger,” he said. Sport Pages 1, 2, 3
Flamengo reach final
Brazilian champions Flamengo came from behind to beat Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal 3-1 on Tuesday and book their place in the final of the Club World Cup.
The Copa Libertadores winners will face either European champions Liverpool or Mexico's Monterrey in Saturday's final.
In the other match on Tuesday, Tunisia's Espérance Sportive de Tunis defeated Al Sadd 6-2 to secure the fifth place.
