Al Sadd stun Jeonbuk to win Asian title
Reuters - Saturday 05 November 2011, 16:03
Al Sadd completed an
unexpected Asian Champions League title triumph when they
overcame all obstacles to beat hosts and favourites Jeonbuk
Motors 4-2 on penalties following an enthralling 2-2 extra-time
draw on Saturday.
Obliged to travel across Asia to play the final away from
home and under pressure throughout the contest, the Qatari side
also overcame the heartbreak of conceding a 92nd-minute
equaliser which forced extra-time to prevail in a shootout.
Al Sadd goalkeeper Mohamed Saqr, whose was brilliant one
minute and woeful the next, saved two penalties in the shootout
to allow Nadir Belhadj to score the winning kick and seal the
$1.5-million first prize and a place at the FIFA Club World Cup
in Japan next month.
"He played fantastic today but believe me, it was not the
only game that he was fantastic in this competition," Al Sadd
coach Jorge Fossati told reporters of his goalkeeper.
"Today he had a big game, the Jeonbuk players did not miss
the penalties, he saved them. It is different."
Al Sadd were under pressure throughout the final at
Jeonbuk's World Cup stadium but defended bravely and took two of
their few chances to seal victory at the end of a campaign that
began in the qualifiers in February.
Heavy favourites Jeonbuk, roared on by a passionate 41,805
home crowd, looked stronger at the start and deservedly took the
lead through Brazilian playmaker Eninho in the 19th minute.
Eninho was brought down on the edge of the area by Wesam
Rizik but picked himself up to fire a sharp, curling, right-foot
free-kick into the corner of the net past a motionless Saqr.
The Koreans failed to build on their early lead and the
Qataris went level 10 minutes later thanks to an own goal by
defender Sim Woo-yeon when he flicked a header past his
goalkeeper Kim Min-sik after a cross from Kader Keita.
WASTED CHANCES
Jeonbuk took control of the game as Al Sadd sank back, happy
to defend as the Koreans wasted a number of chances. They were
punished when Keita scored a brilliant counter-attack goal for
the visitors in the 61st minute.
Belhadj broke down the left and fed Ibrahim Khalfan whose
cross was brilliantly controlled by Ivorian Keita who then
managed to fire the bouncing ball low into the corner of Kim's
goal.
The goal looked set to be the winner as Jeonbuk squandered
more chances while Saqr pulled off some excellent saves before
making an error in missing a clearance from Eninho's corner to
allow Jeonbuk substitute Lee Seung-hyun to head in a 92nd-minute
equaliser and take the final into extra-time.
The home side dominated the extra periods which were played
out almost entirely in the Al Sadd half but Saqr twice denied
Jeonbuk striker Jeong Shung-hoon.
"I really was very worried especially when it went to extra
time because, as you can understand, our physical condition to
play this game was not the same as normal. When you fly 10 hours
two days ago, you need to adapt," Fossati said.
Al Sadd substitute Ali Afif was sent off in the final minute
of extra-time for a second yellow card for bringing down Choi
Chul-soon but it did not prove decisive as Saqr excelled in the
shootout.
Lifting the trophy seemed an unlikely proposition when the
Qataris lost both legs of their quarter-final to Zob Ahan but
they advanced after the Iranians were penalised with a 3-0
defeat for fielding an ineligible player.
Al Sadd then overcame an ugly brawl in the first leg of
their semi-final win over Suwon Bluewings to become the first
Qatari winners of the revamped tournament, after Korea provided
the last two winners.
"I feel tonight's defeat came from so many chances that we
failed to score," Jeonbuk coach Choi Kang-hee told reporters.
"It is very frustrating to lose in such a manner."