Ferreira: We deserve to reach the final, we had an ideal first half

Al-Sadd head coach Jesualdo Ferreira feels his side fully deserved the 3- 2 win over Al-Rayyan in the 2017 Qatar Cup semifinal, that took them to the final where they will face either Lekhwiya or El-Jaish.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Ferreira said: “The first half was excellent. We scored thrice and we could have scored more. Al-Rayyan could not control the half, even for a minute. In the second half, I don’t know what happened – we lost the ball and committed many mistakes, because of which Al-Rayyan scored twice. We also were reduced to 10 men like against El-Jaish.”

He went on to say: “The second half was very difficult. I liked the spirit shown by the Al-Sadd players. Al-Rayyan could have taken the lead. We too had a good chance go to waste in the final minutes.”

“Did you see Tabata getting a yellow card before Kasola was sent off?” asked Ferreira. “He deserved the red card too. Why didn’t the referee show him red as he committed the same foul as Kasola?”

The gaffer then went on to congratulate his players. He said: “We deserved to reach the final. I want to salute the Al-Rayyan players for their performance in the second half. Although they didn’t get the league, they’re still looking for titles. For us, it is the time to take some rest and then prepare for the next game. We deserve to be in the final considering what we showed in this match.”

Asked about the absence of Baghdad Bounedjah, Ferreira said: “This is my decision. I can’t put players in the same position. In the last match, he (Bounedjah) got his fourth yellow card. Hamza then played in his place and scored. These are technical decisions. I’m not going reveal my selection for the next match either.”

He added: “I think some in the media said that Al-Rayyan’s defence is the strongest in the country and that they didn’t lose to Lekhwiya this season. If this is true, this mediaperson has behaved in a wrong manner. Al-Sadd have conceded the least number of goals. All around the world, when you talk about the strongest defence, we look at the team that has let in the least number of goals. Why then are they calling Al-Rayyan the strongest defence when they have conceded more goals than us?”

As for who he wishes to face in the final, Ferreira said: “Whoever comes through will be the stronger team. We want to win this final. I love to win titles and I play to win only. Sometimes, luck isn’t on my side.”