Alaaeldin elated after Gharafa’s win over Ahal FC

Ahmed Alaaeldin was pleased to help Al Gharafa secure their first win in the AFC Champions League after scoring the second goal against Ahal FC to push his side to the top of Group C on Sunday.Alaaeldin came on as a substitute after the hour mark and the 29-year-old was a constant threat on the counter as Ahal FC pushed for the equaliser. The forward forced Ahal FC’s goalkeeper to make two fine stops five minutes from time but made no mistakes in the 87th minute when his right footed strike found the bottom left corner to spark jubilant celebrations. He was later named player of the match but Alaaeldin remained modest, saying the 2-o victory was a team effort. “Today’s match was a really hard match but we came out on top because we pressed the opponents as much as we could. We followed the instructions from our coach which proved decisive. When you score a goal, it increases your confidence and ability to play well. But winning does not come from individual brilliance. Today we won as a team and that goal was for my team,” said Alaaeldin. With the first three points on the board, head coach Andrea Stramaccioni urged his players to maintain the same urgency and energy in the upcoming matches. “The players deserved this because they worked hard but they must stay ground and maintain the same mentality. Today we showed we are a very good group with the right spirit that is required for this competition. We must be ready to fight for every ball in the next matches. There are many more games to be played so we need to continue our preparation and stay focused,” said the Italian. Crespo credits Duhail players for hard-fought Sepahan winAl Duhail SC head coach Hernan Crespo credited his players with the way his side battled to come out 1-0 winners against Sepahan FC in Group D of the AFC Champions League on Sunday.Michael Olunga left it late to get the goal that gave his side their first three points through a magnificent diving header following a floated pass from club captain Almoez Ali. The result was their first win under Crespo who joined the Qatar Stars League side last month, yet the former forward knows that there is still more to come.Olunga continued his streak of scoring against Iranian opposition, taking his tally to six goals in three matches after putting five past Esteghlal FC in the 2021 edition of the tournament. “I thank all my players for their great effort today and for coming out with this important victory,” said Crespo.“We tried from the beginning to play well in this match. We were able to put pressure on our opponents, but we faced difficulties in the first half as the opponents were slightly better and more well organised. “In the second half, we imposed our style more and controlled the game which resulted in a well-deserved goal. I hope that we will continue to improve, especially since the upcoming matches will not be easy,” the Argentine added.