Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Dammam: Substitute Zamil Al Saleem struck two minutes into stoppage-time as Al Ettifaq of Saudi Arabia beat Omani side Al Suwaiq 1-0 to reach the quarter-finals of the AFC Cup on Tuesday.
Al Saleem’s goal lit up a dull Round of 16 encounter at the Prince Mohammed Bin Fahad Stadium which had appeared destined for extra-time until his late intervention.
As a result, Group C winners Al Ettifaq joined Kuwait SC, Syria’s Al Shorta and Thai side Chonburi in the draw for the quarter-finals, which will be played in September. The remaining four quarter-finalists are to be decided on Wednesday.
"We had to win tonight because we wanted to continue in the competition,” said Al Ettifaq assistant coach Sameer Helal.
“Al Suwaiq imposed themselves on the match and we tried our best to play well in the second half but our players were really tired."
"We didn't underestimate Al Suwaiq as they are a good team and they played a good match tonight. But we achieved our target which was good especially as we didn't win any titles this season in our domestic competitions. Our fans wanted us to continue in this competition and we made them happy."
Al Ettifaq controlled proceedings in the first half but they failed to create any real chances.
Al Suwaiq relied mainly on quick counter-attacks but they did not manage even a shot on target as the Al Ettifaq defenders cleared any danger that came their way.
The game was headed for extra-time when Al Saleem netted a sensational winner for his side.
Sultan Al Barqan’s long ball from the back found Abdulmutalib Al Traidi on the left of the Al Suwaiq box. Al Traidi then laid the ball off on the edge of the area for second-half substitute Al Saleem to fire a powerful shot past goalkeeper Khalifa Al Jamahi which went in off the crossbar.
The result left Al Suwaiq coach Mudafar Jabar deeply disappointed.
"We had a good game as we closed the flanks and Al Ettifaq tried to use long balls,” he said.
“We missed many chances and if you miss chances against a big team, then you will lose.
"The goal that we conceded came from a defensive mistake and we were unlucky in attack. The players were really tired after the long season that we had in Oman but Al Ettifaq deserved to win."