Al-Sadd secured a 1-0 victory against Libya’s Ahli Tripoli in their King Salman Club Cup Group B third-round match, which took place on Wednesday at the Damac Club Stadium in Abha.
The sole goal of the match came from Brazilian Paulo Otavio in the 89th minute.
With this win, Al-Sadd qualified for the quarter-finals, leading Group B with 7 points, after two wins against Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal and Libya’s Ahli Tripoli, and a draw against Morocco’s Wydad.
The match began with both teams displaying swift and enthusiastic play. In the 7th minute, Al-Sadd’s players managed to breach Ahli Tripoli’s defence when Akram Afif had a chance on goal, but his shot missed the target, denying his team an early lead.
Al-Sadd went on to take control of the game, as Ahli Tripoli’s players retreated to defend their goal. Al-Sadd’s players attempted to penetrate the Libyan team’s defence through various attacks, particularly with the coordination of Ali Asad, Akram, Hassan Al-Haydos, and Baghdad Bounedjah. In the 20th minute, Ali Asad sent in a cross from the right side that was collected by Akram Afif, but the latter’s shot narrowly missed the right post of Ahli Tripoli’s goal.
In the 40th minute, Al-Sadd made their first substitution, with Ali Asad leaving the field due to injury, replaced by Gonzalo Plata. Despite Al-Sadd continuing their attempts to break the deadlock, the first half ended with a goalless stalemate.
The second half started with intense pressure from Al-Sadd, and Baghdad Bounedjah missed two consecutive chances in the 50th and 54th minutes. Al-Sadd then made two substitutions, with Musab Khidir and Ahmed Sayyar replaced by Paulo Otavio and Mohammed Waad respectively.
Al-Sadd’s attacking pressure persisted, and in the 75th minute, Baghdad Bounedjah unleashed a powerful shot that Ahli Tripoli’s goalkeeper saved. Bounedjah followed up with another attempt in the 76th minute, hitting the crossbar after a header off Akram Afif’s delivery from a corner kick.
Both teams continued their efforts in the latter stages of the match until substitute Paulo Otavio scored the winning goal for Al-Sadd in the 89th minute, concluding the second half and the match with a 1-0 victory for the Wolves.
