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 denied by goalkeeper Khalifa Ababacar as he blocked a Breno header from the centre of the box following an assist by Federico Cartabia in the ninth minute. While Al Gharafa were behind in the ball possession they tested Shabab Al Ahli defence with several attempts including three shots on target. Fabricio Diaz smashed a threatening shot from a distance but goalkeeper Hassan Hamza placed himself well to stop the shot comfortably.
Al Gharafa resumed the match in an explosive fashion with Jang Hyun-Soo just missing the target in 50th minute. But moments later, Sassi stormed into the box to head Jamal Hamed’s cross from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner, giving the hosts an all-important goal. Breno, Yahya Al Ghassani and Gaston Alvarez Suarez saw their efforts blocked as Shabab Al Ahli desperately looked for an equaliser.
Al Ghassani just missed the target three minutes before time as Al Gharafa celebrated their victory after keeping the UAE side at bay during pulsating 10 minutes of stoppage time. Apart from Al Gharafa who advanced from the West region, China’s Shandong Taishan (East) were the other side to reach the group stage yesterday as they defeated Thailand’s Bangkok United FC 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in Jinan. Both teams will join directly-qualified 22 sides for Friday’s draw in Kuala Lumpur.
Paulo Sousa’s Shabab Al Ahli will now take part in the AFC Champions League Two..
