Club World Cup: Al-Sadd defeat Hienghene 3-1 to qualify for second round clash with Monterrey

Al-Sadd registered a 3-1 win over Hienghene Sport, the champions of Oceania, in their FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019 first round game, which was played on Wednesday night at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium. It was a difficult match which extended to extra time after the two teams were locked in a 1-1 draw at the end of normal time.

This result means that Al-Sadd progress to the second round, where they will face Mexican side Monterrey, the CONCACAF champions on Saturday at the same venue.

Baghdad Bounedjah opened the scoring for Al-Sadd in the 26th minute before Amy Roine equalised for Hienghene Sport in the 49th minute. The game thus proceeded to extra time, during which Al-Sadd scored twice through Abdelkarim Hassan (100′) and Pedro Miguel (113′) to seal the win.

Both sides began the game on a cautious note and it would take a while for the first chance to arrive. Hienghene Sport’s Jefferson had an opportunity to score in the 9th minute but his shot could only hit the side netting. Bounedjah then tried a shot from outside the penalty box but it was saved by the Hienghene keeper.

Midway through the first half, Bounedjah succeeded in breaking the deadlock, putting the final touch to a deflected cross that was sent in from the left by Abdelkarim.

Al-Sadd then thought they had doubled the lead in the 39th minute after Akram Afif slammed in from close range but the effort was ruled out by the referee, after consulting VAR and deeming him offside.

The first half thus ended with a slim lead for Al-Sadd, but it would not last for long after the restart. Hienghene struck back through Roine, who capitalised on Khoukhi Boualem’s failure to clear the ball before finishing smartly past Saad Al-Dosari to equalise.

The Wolves then proceeded to begin their onslaught on the Hienghene box for the rest of the half but were undone on each occasion by a stubborn defence and some misfortune in front of goal. Hassan Al-Haydos, who had replaced Abdulaziz Al-Ansari in an early substitution, had the ball in the net in the 66th minute but once again, the referee disallowed the goal through the help of VAR, after adjudging Bounedjah to be offside in the build-up.

Afif then came up with a great move in the 87th minute, trading passes with Al-Haydos and dribbling past multiple defenders but his final shot went wide of the goal.

Normal time thus ended with a 1-1 stalemate, but a resilient Al-Sadd finally managed to score their elusive breakthrough goal in the 10th minute of extra time through Abdelkarim Hassan. After the Hienghene keeper caught a back-pass, the referee had awarded an indirect free kick inside the box, which was duly dispatched by Abdelkarim after being set up by Al-Haydos.

Pedro Miguel then put the result beyond doubt with a powerful effort that left the keeper with no chance in the 113th minute.

MATCH DETAILS

Al-Sadd x Hienghene Sport (FIFA Club World Cup First Round)

Venue:

Jassim bin Hamad Stadium

Lineups:

Al-Sadd – Saad Al-Dosari, Pedro Miguel, Abdelkarim Hassan, Boualem Khoukhi, Salem Al-Hajri (Tarek Salman), Gabi, Nam Tae-hee (Ali Asad), Jung Woo-young, Abdulaziz Al-Ansari (Hassan Al-Haydos), Baghdad Bounedjah, Akram Afif

Hienghene Sport – R. Nyikeine, R. Kayara (B. Hyanem), E. Béaruné, J. Dinet, G. Gony, C. Sansot, J. Athale, Pedro Luis (M. Kayara), B. Kaï (A. Kai), J. Dahite, A. Roine (K. Matsumoto)

Result:

Al-Sadd won 3-1 after extra time

Goals:

Baghdad Bounedjah 26′
Amy Roine 49′
Abdelkarim Hassan 100′
Pedro Miguel Correia 113′

Bookings:

R. Nyikeine 99′
E. Bearune 116′

Referees:

Main referee: M. Ghorbal (Algeria)
Assistant referee: Mahmoud Abo El Regal (Egypt)
Assistant referee: M. Gourari (Algeria)
Fourth official: I. Elfath (USA)