Roberto Mancini, Al Sadd’s head coach, expressed his happiness at qualifying for the next round of the AFC Champions League Elite 2025–2026.
Speaking at the press conference after the match, the Al Sadd coach said:
“We are happy to qualify for the next round, even though we were not satisfied with the result of this tough match. But the team qualified despite all the difficulties, especially the ones at the start of this edition.”
Mancini added:
“We faced a strong team today, and substituting Giovanni was due to a change in the playing system during the match.”
The Al Sadd coach pointed out that “two months ago, we were almost out of the competition, and now we have qualified. We must reassess our situation and prepare for what’s coming.”
He concluded:
“The Saudi clubs are currently the strongest in the AFC Champions League Elite, and this is logical and natural. We have two weeks before the Round of 16 match, and we will see how prepared we are for this stage, which will certainly be more difficult.”
