Al-Sadd’s first team secured a thrilling 3-2 victory against Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal in their second King Salman Club Cup Group B fixture on Sunday at the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Sport City Stadium.
With this hard-fought win, Al-Sadd climbed to the top of Group B with 4 points, following a goalless draw in the first round against Morocco’s Wydad.
The goals for Al-Sadd were scored by Baghdad Bounedjah in the 40th minute, Tarek Salman in the 50th minute, and Gonzalo Plata in the 93rd minute. On the other side, Michael and Salem Al-Dawsari scored for Al-Hilal in the 10th and 68th minutes respectively.
The match kicked off with a burst of energy and enthusiasm, and Al-Hilal dominated the ball, particularly in the midfield, posing a threat to Al-Sadd’s goal on several occasions. Michael opened the scoring for Al-Hilal in the 10th minute.
However, Al-Sadd’s players regrouped after conceding the goal, displaying their passing skills and advancing despite continuous pressure from Al-Hilal. In the 30th minute, Baghdad Bounedjah unleashed a powerful shot that was deflected off Al-Hilal’s defence, leading to a corner kick, while his header in the 32nd minute went slightly above the crossbar.
In the 40th minute, Al-Sadd managed to level the score with a well-placed header by Baghdad Bounedjah from a cross on the right side, bringing the score to 1-1 by halftime.
The second half began with Al-Sadd showing determination, and in the 50th minute, Tarek Salman scored after a corner kick played in from the left. Initially headed towards the goal by Mateus Uribe, the ball floated in right in front of Tarek, who nudged it past the keeper to score Al-Sadd’s second goal.
In the 68th minute, Al-Hilal equalised through a penalty kick converted by Salem Al-Dawsari, awarded after a VAR review by the match referee.
Al-Sadd made three simultaneous substitutions, with Tarek Salman, Musab Khidir, and Ali Asad leaving the field, replaced by Roman Saiss, Paulo Otavio, and Gonzalo Plata.
The match continued with both teams battling to secure the winning goal. In the 82nd minute, Baghdad Bounedjah came close to scoring Al-Sadd’s third goal, but his shot was brilliantly saved by Al-Hilal’s goalkeeper, and the defence cleared the ball.
However, in the third minute of added time, substitute Gonzalo Plata sealed the deal for Al-Sadd by scoring their third goal, securing the team’s impressive 3-2 victory.
