Doha: Ferjani Sassi scored the winner as Al Gharafa edged Shabab Al Ahli 1-0 to secure their spot in the AFC Champions League (ACL) Elite group stage yesterday. Sassi’s superb header in the 50th minute made the difference in the AFC Champions League Elite Preliminary Stage 2 tie what turned out to be a thrilling contest at the Al Bayt Stadium. The victory put Pedro Martins’ Al Gharafa along with their Qatar Stars League rivals Al Sadd and Al Rayyan, who directly qualified for the continental showpiece as winners and runners-up of country’s top flight.
“We achieved our goal of reaching the Elite tournament. It was a challenging contest and we played according to nature of the match to earn the win,” coach Martins said after the win. Assim Madibo was elated to advance to the prestigious tournament after a hard-fought win.
“It was a difficult match against strong opponents. We are happy to win and qualify for the Elite Championship which is the most important thing,” the Al Gharafa midfielder said in a post-match comment. “It’s just the start of the season and we gave a reasonable performance in this tough match.
We played with high spirits and I want to thank our fans for their support,” the Qatar international added. Spanish veteran Joselu hit the pole in sixth minute to give the UAE club an early scare as Al Gharafa started off brightly. It was a cagey first half in which both the sides mostly struggled to find spaces in the final third.
The visitors were .