Tribune News Network
Doha
Al Sadd were held to a goalless draw by 10-man Wydad of Morocco sharing points in their opening match of King Salman Club Cup 2023 at the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium in Abha, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday.
Wydad were reduced to ten men in the 36th minute of the match after their midfielder Yahya Jabrane was shown the red card for making a strong foul tackle on Al Sadd’s Pedro Miguel.
The team from Casablanca then bogged down in defence and managed to hold on well as Al Sadd made several forays at regular intervals but couldn’t find the target.
Al Sadd captain Hassan Al Haydos, after the match, said his team wasn’t far from a win in the match but added, "A draw isn’t an unfavourable result against a formidable team like Wydad. We displayed an impressive performance and were the ones most likely to secure a win and claim the three points.”
He further said, "The King Salman Club Cup is a highly competitive tournament for all participating teams. They are all champions in their respective countries and this competition holds great significance for us ahead of the start of the season.
"Our goal was to clinch the three points. We played well, and the team is progressing from one match to another. We are determined to deliver our best performance in the upcoming matches of Group B.”
Al Sadd coach Bruno Miguel said, "The first half was a balanced contest between the two teams. We created numerous opportunities, but after Wydad’s player was sent off, the second half became more challenging, especially as the Moroccan team closed down spaces and adopted a defensive approach around their goal.”
Bruno highlighted that Al Sadd gained valuable insights from the match and they will work on refining them in the forthcoming matches against Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia and Ahli Tripoli of Libya.
Al Sadd began at a good pace and threatened to breach the rival defence repeatedly. In the 29th minute, striker Akram Afif made a good header from the centre, off an Ali Asad assist, but it was held in the nick of time.
Three minutes later, a Hassan Al Haydos left footer from outside the box went high over the bar.
On resumption of the second half, Tarek Salman made a good pass to Boualem Khoukhi who struck from more than 35 yards but the kick was saved in front of the goal by Wydad keeper Youssef El Motie.
Al Sadd continued to be on the offensive and in the 55th minute their Colombian midfielder Matheus Uribe superbly deflected a Miguel shot but it went on to hit the left post.
Minutes later, Uribe made another attempt from the centre but it went just wide to the left.
In the 61st minute, Baghdad Bounedjah’s shot missed the target going wide to the right.
Wydad resorted to some strong tackles as Al Sadd picked up pace and soon tempers frayed.
Al Sadd’s coach Miguel also called for several substitutions to be made including replacing Boundejah with Ahmad Al Saeed in the 79th minute.
Al Sadd pushed hard till the very end to find success but the goal remained elusive.
In the 87th minute, Afif worked his way through the rival defence inside the box to provide a cross to Uribe but the latter’s header was cut off by an alert defender.
Later, Afif made a long range attempt but the ball sailed away from the right post.
Al Sadd in their next Group B fixture will meet Al Hilal club on Sunday (July 30) at the same venue before meeting Ahli Tripoli at the Damac Stadium on August 2.
Top two teams from four groups will advance into the knockout stage of the tournament.