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Al Sadd Beats Al Nassr and Advances to the Round of 16 in the AFC Champions League

Qatari side Al Sadd secured a spot in the Round of 16 of the AFC Champions League by defeating Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr 2-1 in a match held at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh. The victory came during the sixth round of the continental competition.

Al Nassr, which had already secured qualification, played the match without their star, Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored 15 goals in 18 matches across all competitions this season. Coach Stefano Pioli rested Ronaldo as a tough match against the Saudi Pro League leaders, Al Ittihad, awaits them in a few days. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner sat in a VIP box alongside his mother, Dolores Aveiro, and partner Georgina Rodriguez.

The game started with Akram Afif giving Al Sadd the lead in the 53rd minute, before Moroccan defender Romain Saiss equalized by accident (80′). Algerian Adam Ounas scored the winning goal for Al Sadd with a last-minute penalty (90+9), sealing their qualification to the Round of 16.

Pioli lamented his team’s missed opportunities, especially from Brazilian Anderson Talisca and Senegalese Sadio Mane.

“It was a good game, but we made some mistakes and paid a heavy price for this loss,” said the former Milan coach. “I don’t want to focus on the absence of players, including Ronaldo. We worked hard in this match and created chances, but unfortunately, we didn’t convert them. That’s football.”

Pioli, whose team suffered their first defeat of the season in the continental competition (four wins and one draw), added, “The opponent took advantage of our mistakes and secured the win. We need to be patient. We took 17 shots but lacked accuracy. Today’s loss feels unfair because we played well and created many chances.”

On the other hand, Al Sadd’s Spanish coach Felix Sanchez said, “We played a strong match against a great and attacking team. We defended at the right moments and took advantage of our opportunities with the attacking approach we wanted.”

The former Qatar national team coach at the 2022 World Cup continued, “Our main goal was to deny Al Nassr possession. Winning in their stadium is never easy, but the players showed strong character on the field.”

Al Sadd, the 1989 and 2011 champions, currently sit in fourth place in the West Zone (12 points), one point behind Al Nassr, which are in third place and still chasing their first-ever title. It is worth noting that the top eight teams from the 12 in the group stage will qualify for the Round of 16.

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In this round, Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli lost their perfect record after drawing at home with Iran’s Esteklal 2-2. Al Ahli’s points tally rose to 16, still leading the West Group, while Esteklal moved to 5 points, occupying the eighth spot in the overall standings.

Meanwhile, Qatar’s Al Rayyan delayed the qualification of UAE’s Al Wasl to the knockout stage by drawing 1-1.

Al Wasl dropped to fifth place with 11 points, while Al Rayyan stayed seventh with 5 points.

Iraqi side Al Shorta missed a late penalty and then conceded a similar penalty to lose 1-2 to Iran’s Persepolis in Doha.

Al Shorta still has not won this season, remaining on two points, while Persepolis rose to sixth place with 6 points.

Today, Tuesday, Pakhtakor from Uzbekistan (3 points) will face UAE’s club Al Ain, the defending champions who are in the bottom of the table (1 point) in Tashkent, while Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal (13 points) will play against Al Gharafa from Qatar (4 points) in Riyadh.

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