13 hours Ago
Doha: Al Sadd’s AFC Champions League Elite journey ended in heartbreak as they fell 3-2 to Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale after extra time in a gripping quarter-final clash in Jeddah on Sunday.
At the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, the Qatari side showed immense character, twice battling back from behind. But in the end, costly defensive errors proved their undoing.
Yasuto Wakizaka struck the decisive blow in the 98th minute, capitalising on a mistake by Guilherme Torres to seal Kawasaki’s spot in the semi-finals.
Kawasaki had taken an early lead in the fourth minute when Akihiro Ienaga played a slick through ball to Erison, who calmly slotted past Meshaal Barsham.
Al Sadd responded quickly, and by the ninth minute, they were level.
Akram Afif found Otavio on the left, and the Portuguese midfielder fired a left-footed shot into the net.
The action remained intense as Boualem Khoukhi came close from distance, while Barsham kept Erison at bay with a smart save.
Kawasaki regained the lead in the 21st minute when Marcinho latched onto Yuki Yamamoto’s pass and chipped the ball over Barsham into the bottom corner.
Rafa Mujica then tested goalkeeper Louis Yamaguchi with a powerful effort, and Afif missed a late first-half header from a Claudinho cross as the Japanese side held a 2-1 lead at the break.
Al Sadd began the second half with renewed energy, forcing Kawasaki onto the back foot. Khoukhi narrowly missed with a long-range attempt, and Otavio’s header was comfortably dealt with by Yamaguchi.
Looking for a spark, head coach Felix Sanchez introduced experienced Hassan Al Haydos in the 64th minute. The substitution paid off. Giovani, also brought on, made a surging run down the right and sent in a low cross.
Al Haydos cleverly stepped over the ball, leaving it for Claudinho, who slotted home from the center of the box to make it 2-2.
The equaliser lifted the tempo for Al Sadd. Afif nearly gave them the lead with a curling strike that flew just over, and in stoppage time, Giovani had a golden chance to win it but fired straight at the goalkeeper, forcing extra time.
In the added period, fatigue began to set in and so did pressure. A misjudged underhead pass by Torres deep in Al Sadd’s half gifted possession to Yusuke Segawa, who quickly found Shin Yamada. The forward laid it off for Wakizaka, who struck cleanly from the center of the box to make it 3-2.
Al Sadd pressed in search of another response, but Kawasaki remained composed and organised, shutting down every attack to secure their place in the semi-finals, where they will face Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr on Wednesday. The other semi-final, set for Tuesday, will be a Saudi showdown between Al Hilal and Al Ahli Saudi FC. The final will be played on May 3.
