Al Sadd star Akram Afif finished second in the race for the 2025 AFC Player of the Year Award during the Asian Football Confederation’s annual awards ceremony, held on Thursday, October 16, 2025, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Salem Al-Dawsari of Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) won the AFC Player of the Year award. ...
Al Sadd coach Félix Sánchez expressed his disappointment after his side were held 1-1 by Sharjah in the AFC Champions League Elite.
At the post-match press conference, Sánchez said: “We went ahead in the first half and wanted to continue in the same way in the second, playing attacking football, but the team dropped back and conceded unexpectedly. It was a balanced game between both sides.” ...
Al Sadd goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham said he had hoped for victory against Sharjah after their AFC Champions League Elite group stage clash ended 1-1.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Barsham, who was named Man of the Match, said: “I won the best player award but I wanted Al Sadd to win first. It was a tough and strong game. We took the lead but couldn’t hold on, and we had the chance to score more than one goal in the first half.” ...
Al Sadd draw 1-1 with Sharjah in AFC Champions League Elite
Al Sadd were held to a 1-1 draw by UAE side Sharjah in their Group Stage clash of the AFC Champions League Elite 2025-26, played on Tuesday evening, September 30, 2025, at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium.
With this result, Al Sadd moved to two points. Akram Afif opened the scoring for the hosts in the 18th minute, while Caio Lucas equalised for Sharjah in the 73rd. Goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham kept Al Sadd in the game earlier when he saved a penalty in the 21st minute. ...
Al Sadd coach Félix Sánchez underlined the importance of his side’s upcoming match against UAE’s Sharjah in the AFC Champions League Elite 2025-26, which will be played on Tuesday evening at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Sánchez said: “The AFC Champions League Elite is a very tough competition, and everyone knows that. This game is a big challenge for us. We need to take advantage of playing at home and in front of our fans. We are fully prepared for the match, and we know how important it is after drawing in the first round. Our aim is to put in a strong performance and achieve the result we want, one that will satisfy our supporters.” ...
Al Sadd played out a 0-0 draw with Al Duhail in Week 6 of the Doha Bank Stars League, in the match held on Thursday at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
With this result, Sadd moved to 8 points from two wins, two losses and two draws.
During the press conference, the Spanish coach said: “We have a highly competitive match on Thursday. Last season, we finished as the top two teams in the league, so we expect a tough game.” ...
With this draw, Al-Sadd raised their tally to 7 points. Al-Sadd’s goals were scored by Akram Afif in the 18th minute and Giovanni Henrique in the 38th minute, while Al-Wakrah’s goals were scored by Redouane Berkane in the 55th and 73rd minutes. ...
In his press conference remarks, Sanchez stated: “Our next match will be against Al-Wakrah. They’ve been performing well despite their recent result against Al-Ahli, so we expect a tough encounter.” ...
Al Sadd head coach Felix Sanchez described the 1-1 draw against Al Shorta of Iraq as a positive result in their opening match of the 2025-2026 AFC Champions League Elite.
Speaking after the game, Sanchez said: “The match was evenly balanced between both teams. The first 25 minutes were difficult for us because of Al Shorta’s pressure, but afterwards we played well by the end of the first half.” ...
