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AFC Champions League Elite
Matheus Goncalves struck late to secure the win as two-time defending champions Al Ahli moved to seven points, while Al Gharafa suffered a third consecutive defeat.
#ACLElite | Al Ahli Saudi FC (KSA) 2-1 Al Gharafa SC (QAT)
“I’m very happy with the victory; I believe we deserved it. We were excellent from the start in maintaining our level and controlling the flow of the match, though we didn’t capitalise on that to seal the result in the first half,” said Al Ahli tactician Pusic.
“Al Gharafa fought back in the second half by scoring. They are a respectable side with great potential, but Matheus scored a truly beautiful goal - kudos to him. I hope we can continue this high level of performance in the upcoming matches.”
“Al Gharafa fought back in the second half by scoring. They are a respectable side with great potential, but Matheus scored a truly beautiful goal - kudos to him. I hope we can continue this high level of performance in the upcoming matches.”
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Pusic admitted that the demanding schedule is taking its toll.
“Conceding goals is always frustrating, but I see the team’s collective work improving day by day.
"We must also remember that the intense match schedule takes a heavy toll on their energy. That said, they have not yet reached the level of performance I aspire to see from Al Ahli.”
“Conceding goals is always frustrating, but I see the team’s collective work improving day by day.
"We must also remember that the intense match schedule takes a heavy toll on their energy. That said, they have not yet reached the level of performance I aspire to see from Al Ahli.”
Al Gharafa head coach Pedro Martins felt the dismissal of Seydou Sano changed the game but admitted that his team must quickly learn from their mistakes.
“We played a competitive match, especially in the second half, but the red card proved to be a turning point for us as it was followed shortly by Al Ahli’s second goal,” said Martins. “We shared control of the match and performed well, despite having several players missing.
“We will look to build on the positives from today and hope to achieve better results moving forward. We created many chances after (Yacine) Brahimi came on, but we failed to score. We need to work on this aspect and improve."
“We played a competitive match, especially in the second half, but the red card proved to be a turning point for us as it was followed shortly by Al Ahli’s second goal,” said Martins. “We shared control of the match and performed well, despite having several players missing.
“We will look to build on the positives from today and hope to achieve better results moving forward. We created many chances after (Yacine) Brahimi came on, but we failed to score. We need to work on this aspect and improve."
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