Hamid: The players are in high spirits, we are only focused on winning

Al-Sadd full-back Hamid Ismail spoke of his team’s readiness ahead of the upcoming AFC Champions League Round of 16 clash with Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the main training session on Saturday evening, Hamid said: “Both teams are known to be strong and have a long history. We know the importance of this match which is being played at our home. We will look to win it before going (to Jeddah) there to play at their ground. We hope we can get a satisfactory result. I think Al-Sadd are capable of doing it, considering how prepared we are.”

“We are focusing on giving everything we have towards this clash. We hope we can win it and give happiness to the fans who will come to support us.”

Hamid was also asked about his level of readiness after he missing out on the action in the last game in the Emir’s Cup. “I am in a good condition and I’m fully ready for the match,” he said. “I hope I can give my all to get the win.”

Asked about the aftermath of the events in the Qatar Cup final which saw suspensions and fines handed out to Al-Sadd players, Hamid said: “We have moved on from those events. I don’t think our loss in the Qatar Cup final in that manner makes us angry. Instead, this is something to be proud of, because we didn’t lose because of our performance or the opponent’s dominance. We only lost due to a refereeing decision. It was only supported by two people. Everyone knows that.”

“As far as we’re concerned, we have moved past that. All our focus is now on the AFC Champions League game because it’s a different tournament and our objective is to keep our run going successfully.”