Ferreira: We struggled against Qatar SC, this win is important for us

Al-Sadd head coach Jesualdo Ferreira was not fully satisfied with the performance of his team after the 3-1 win over Qatar SC in Round 15 of the QNB Stars League.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Ferreira said: “We struggled a lot in this match and I am not happy with the performance of the players. We could have scored more goals. I don’t know why we wasted so many opportunities in front of goal.”

“The result is very important for us. At the beginning of the match, we were not up to the mark. Fatigue was affecting most of the players. Al-Sadd were very lazy (but) the reaction (after falling behind) was very good and we managed to equalize, and then score the second and third goals before halftime.”

He added: “I am very sad with the injuries to Khoukhi Boualem and Abdelkarim Hassan. I think that bad luck is following us, especially during this crucial phase when we have important games in Asia and at home.”

“As of now, I don’t know about the condition of the injured players. Our situation will be tough, as we get closer to the important games in the league and in the AFC Champions League. I am very sad today.”

Ferreira went on to say: “Tonight I will ponder a lot about finding players who will make up for the injured ones. Throughout my time at Al-Sadd, there have always been injury problems we had to face. It is my responsibility as a coach to find suitable replacements. We will not give up and we will work hard in all the matches.”

Asked about the team’s decline in performance during the second half, Ferreira had this to say: “It was difficult for the performance to be better in the second half, after we were struck by bad luck through the injuries and the missed penalty.”