(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Fawad Hussain |
The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: Baghdad Bounedjah fired a hat-trick as former champions Al Sadd bounced back in the AFC Champions League with a thumping 6-0 victory over 10-man Al Faisaly yesterday.
Desperately needing a win, Al Sadd, who only had one point from two games, fired on all cylinders particularly in the second half to earn vital points at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
The Wolves are now three points behind Sharjah, who are leading Group B with seven points, and they are trailing second-placed Nasaf by two points.
A strong start paid dividend to Al Sadd soon after the kick off as Bounedjah's header from Mohammed Waad cross put them ahead in the eighth minute.
The Bruno Miguel's side, which enjoyed a lion's share in ball possession, came close to scoring their second goal several times in the first half with captain Hassan Al Haydos and Paulo Otavio creating opportunities.
Marching order to Nizar Al Rashdan after his second yellow card one minute before the break proved fatal for Jordan's Al Faisaly as Al Sadd returned with all guns blazing, scoring three goals in as many minutes after the breather.
The duo of Bounedjah and Waad combined again for Al Sadd's second goal with the Algerian striker scoring from the centre of the box after an assist from the Qatari forward in the 50th minute.
Gonzalo Plata's left footed shot to the bottom right corner extended Al Sadd's lead before substitute Mostafa Meshaal, who replaced injured Al Haydos in the second half, struck after a ball from Plata.
Bounedjah completed his hat-trick in 63rd minute picking a brilliant through pass from Ali Asad to slot the ball from just inside the box. Yusuf Abdurisag completed the rout seven minutes before time as Al Sadd fans cheered the comeback victory from their side. The return leg will be played on November 6.
Al Duhail brace for Al Nassr test
Meanwhile, Al Duhail will face Cristiano Ronaldo-powered Al Nassr at their home turf of Al Awwal Park in Riyadh tonight.
With just one point to their credit so far from Istiklol draw in Group E, the Red Knights, who are under new coach Christophe Galtier, are looking for points to bounce back in the competition following a 1-0 defeat to Persepolis.
After two consecutive victories – Persepolis FC 2-0 and Istiklol 3-1 – Al Nassr are hot favourites at home but Galtier was optimistic of a strong performance from his side.
“We didn't get enough time to prepare because when I joined many players were on international duty. I have coached Al Duhail in only one match so far but despite that we have worked a lot and studied Al Nassr thoroughly. We are looking forward to a big match tomorrow,” the Frenchman told a pre-match press conference yesterday.
“We are facing a team which has players with great skills. I watched Al Nassr's last match and saw how they executed free kicks and succeeded in using them to reach the goal, whether through Talisca or Ronaldo. This made me work with the players on the necessity of avoiding mistakes in front of the penalty area,” said Galtier, who replaced Argentine Hernan Crespo earlier this month.
Striker Michael Olunga said Al Duhail were needed to give their best against Al Nassr.
“It's an important match for us. We are up against a tough side and we are aware that we need to work really hard to earn a positive result,” said the Kenyan star.
“Al Nassr have a number of good players but we will face the entire team and our aim is to produce good result in the match to put our Champions League journey back on track,” he added.
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