Ferreira: This was a deserved victory, we will go to Iran looking to win

Al-Sadd head coach Jesualdo Ferreira expressed his happiness after his side qualified for the knockout stage of the 2018 AFC Champions League with a 2-1 win over Al-Wasl in the Group C game played here on Monday.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Ferreira said: “Al-Sadd got a deserved win. I want to congratulate the players, the management and the fans of the club who didn’t disappoint and supported us throughout the campaign. Al-Sadd’s campaign was not easy; we faced a lot of difficulties.”

He added: “I want to take this opportunity to wish good luck to all the Qatari teams participating in the AFC Champions League. I am very happy that Al-Sadd has managed to return to this stage of the competition after two years.”

As for his team’s performance, Ferreira said: “We did not play that well because of the pressure and the injuries. However, the players are excused because they were fatigued. I hope luck will be on their side in the Round of 16 because it will be very difficult.”

Ferreira also remarked about his striker Baghdad Bounedjah, who topped the scorers list with seven goals: “Congratulations to Bounedjah for what he has achieved until now; he has become the top scorer of the tournament. I am happy that he is at Al-Sadd. His level is constantly improving.”

When asked if he was worried in the final stages of the match, after Al-Wasl scored in injury time, Ferreira said: “I wasn’t worried about the result but I was worried about the players getting injured like how it happened in the game against Persepolis, because the players were exhausted after an intense period of fixtures during the international break.”

The coach concluded by saying: “In our last game, we will travel to Iran with the aim of getting a win. Abdelkarim will not be with us after he picked up his second yellow card in this game.”