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AFC
Doha
Defending champions Al Hilal SFC heaved a sigh of relief after defeating 10-man Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan in Group B of the AFC Champions League on Monday.
Second half substitute Hattan Bahebri scored a late winner to steer the defending champions to a third consecutive victory as the Saudi Arabia club took spot in the group and edged closer to the knockout stage.
Captain Abdullah Al Mayouf said Al Hilal, missing six players who had tested positive for COVID-19, didn’t start the match well but managed to take advantage of their numerical superiority to win.
“We didn’t perform well in the first half,” said the goalkeeper, who was beaten by Pakhtakor’s Eren Derdiyok in the second half after Sebastian Giovinco had given Al Hilal the lead in first half stoppage time.
“In the second half, things changed and we played better as we took advantage of Pakhtakor playing with one man down to get the three points.
“It was a good way to restart but now we should focus on winning the next match in order to qualify. After qualifying we must focus on winning the group.”
Mohamed Kanno admitted that Al Hilal were affected by the absence of players who had tested positive for COVID-19.
“It was an important victory, especially as we were missing several players,” said the 25-year-old midfielder. “However, we got the victory with great fighting spirit and with the help of the good tactics from our coach.”
Salem Al Dawsari, who was named as the Player of the Match, labelled the encounter against Pakhtakor as “the most important” in the group.
“It was a difficult match and the most important one for us,” said the 29-year-old midfielder. “Despite all the conditions that we went through, we managed to get the three points.
Al Hilal play Pakhtakor again on Thursday, knowing another win will all but seal their place in the Round of 16.
Got important points, says Shabab Al Ahli’s Khalil
Ahmed Khalil said Shabab Al Ahli Dubai secured three very important points against IsIran’s Shahr Khodro FC.
“The win was a very positive result for us,” said Khalil. “After a long period of stoppage, the match was very difficult for us but the most important thing is that we managed to get the three points,” said the 2015 AFC Footballer of the Year.
“The start of the match was good for us as we controlled the proceedings but things changed before going into the break,” he said. “However, our performance improved in the second half and managed to get the three points.”
Shabab Al Ahli play Shahr Khodro again on Thursday and need to win to stay in touch with leaders Al Hilal SFC and Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor.
Doha
Defending champions Al Hilal SFC heaved a sigh of relief after defeating 10-man Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan in Group B of the AFC Champions League on Monday.
Second half substitute Hattan Bahebri scored a late winner to steer the defending champions to a third consecutive victory as the Saudi Arabia club took spot in the group and edged closer to the knockout stage.
Captain Abdullah Al Mayouf said Al Hilal, missing six players who had tested positive for COVID-19, didn’t start the match well but managed to take advantage of their numerical superiority to win.
“We didn’t perform well in the first half,” said the goalkeeper, who was beaten by Pakhtakor’s Eren Derdiyok in the second half after Sebastian Giovinco had given Al Hilal the lead in first half stoppage time.
“In the second half, things changed and we played better as we took advantage of Pakhtakor playing with one man down to get the three points.
“It was a good way to restart but now we should focus on winning the next match in order to qualify. After qualifying we must focus on winning the group.”
Mohamed Kanno admitted that Al Hilal were affected by the absence of players who had tested positive for COVID-19.
“It was an important victory, especially as we were missing several players,” said the 25-year-old midfielder. “However, we got the victory with great fighting spirit and with the help of the good tactics from our coach.”
Salem Al Dawsari, who was named as the Player of the Match, labelled the encounter against Pakhtakor as “the most important” in the group.
“It was a difficult match and the most important one for us,” said the 29-year-old midfielder. “Despite all the conditions that we went through, we managed to get the three points.
Al Hilal play Pakhtakor again on Thursday, knowing another win will all but seal their place in the Round of 16.
Got important points, says Shabab Al Ahli’s Khalil
Ahmed Khalil said Shabab Al Ahli Dubai secured three very important points against IsIran’s Shahr Khodro FC.
“The win was a very positive result for us,” said Khalil. “After a long period of stoppage, the match was very difficult for us but the most important thing is that we managed to get the three points,” said the 2015 AFC Footballer of the Year.
“The start of the match was good for us as we controlled the proceedings but things changed before going into the break,” he said. “However, our performance improved in the second half and managed to get the three points.”
Shabab Al Ahli play Shahr Khodro again on Thursday and need to win to stay in touch with leaders Al Hilal SFC and Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor.
