(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
The Peninsula
Doha: Head coach Felix Sanchez feels his Al Sadd SC side are on track for a place in the knockout stage of the AFC Champions League Elite after beating Persepolis FC to collect their second win on Monday.
The Qatari side had to dig deep to secure the 1-0 victory in a match in which Persepolis had the better of the chances but Mateus Uribe's first half goal was enough to decide the tie.
“I congratulate the players on winning a very difficult match against Persepolis, we got very important points and I congratulate the players and the fans on the win,” said Sanchez.
“Persepolis played their way and lost, and we played our way and won, and we deserved to win the match.
“Winning two matches and drawing one indicates that we are on the right track towards qualification and this is the most important thing for us at the moment. After this, we think about the future.”
The win means Al Sadd are two points shy of Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal SFC and Al Ahli Saudi FC, with the top eight teams to advance to the knockout stage.
Al Sadd will next face Al Wasl in an away game in Dubai on November 4.
Meanwhile, Al Rayyan coached rued mistakes from his side after a 2-1 defeat to Al Ahli Saudi FC at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on Monday.
Three consecutive defeats left the coach frustrated as they face an uphill battle for qualification.
“We know that our fans were waiting for the victory, and so were we, but we gave gifts in the first half, and did not take advantage of the opportunities in the second half, and the result was expressive of the scenario of the two halves,” said Ali.
“The two goals in the first half were due to lack of focus but in the second half, we changed the way we played and tried to come back but we did not take advantage of the opportunities available to us."
“The nature of matches in this competition requires intensity and we fell behind at the beginning of the match. It is unfortunate to make a mistake against players of this level, and the punishment comes immediately.”
Al Rayyan will play their next game against Uzbekistan's Pakhtakor FC on November 5.
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