Al-Haydos: The win required a lot of effort from the players

Hassan Al-Haydos was in the thick of all the action and scored the second of Al-Sadd’s goals in the 3-1 win over Al-Nassr on Monday evening, which saw the Wolves progress to the semifinals of the AFC Champions League.

The performance earned Al-Haydos the man-of-the-match accolade.

Speaking to the media after the game, Al-Haydos said: “This win did not come about easily. It required a lot of effort from the Al-Sadd players. We got a very important victory which took us to the semifinals.”

“The match was not easy but we managed to make things go our way and came through with the win. We took advantage of their weak points and gave an excellent display.”

Asked about what happened at halftime, when the score was 1-1, Al-Haydos said: “The coach spoke to us calmly. Xavi told us something very important which increased our desire to win: he said that he trusts us and that we should enjoy our game. Without a doubt, those words were a boost to the players. We played excellently in the second half and we clinched victory.”

He added: “The performance today was better than the away leg and we are happy that we have won this game. I want to thank all those who came to support us; it was an ideal atmosphere. The fans were the biggest stars behind this victory.”