Monterrey win five-goal thriller to dash Al Sadd’s hope of Liverpool tie
Al Sadd’s hopes of a glamorous semi-final tie with Liverpool at the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup were dashed yesterday after the Qatari champions suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat in the hands of Mexico’s CF Monterrey at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha.
Leonel Vangioni’s astonishing 35-yard left-footed strike which flew into the top corner via the post on the 23 minute mark, was the pick of the five-goal thriller, which saw the four-time participants reach the semis for only the second time.
The Mexicans will next face UEFA Champions League winners Liverpool, who are scheduled to arrive in Doha today, in the semis clash at the Khalifa International Stadium on Wednesday, while Al Sadd will contest the fifth-place play-off against African champions Esperance Sportive de Tunis, who were beaten 1-0 by Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal in the other match of the day, on Tuesday.
“I am, of course, very disappointed with the outcome of the match but very proud of the players for their effort and determination. We made many mistakes which our opponent capitalized on but we deserved more than that and could have taken the game to extra time,” Al Sadd coach Xavi Hernandez said after the match.
“We must learn from our mistakes and correct them moving forward. It has been a wonderful experience but I am happy with most of the players and how they played. In football, the result is most important and we committed too many mistakes which led to our loss today,” the former Barcelona star added.
The CONCACAF champions were the favorites for the match and they nearly took the lead after two minutes with Jesus Gallardo rasping a shot onto the bar from an awkward angle.
If that was a statement of intent, Vangioni delivered in style. From 30 yards out he unleashed a meteorite that he couldn’t have placed better with the help of a step-ladder. His shot hit off the top right-hand corner of the post and went in, sending the visiting fans crazy.
Their second was another freak event but of a different manner. A misplaced back pass from Al Sadd captain Gabi fell into the legs of Rogelio Funes Mori who wasted no time in squaring up keeper Saad al-Sheeb before calmly slotting into the net.
Hope emerged for the coach Xavi men midway through the second half in the shape of Baghdad Bounedjah, who superbly headed in from 12 yards, only for the former Asian Champions to see the gap widen again when Carlos Rodriguez thumped a third off the underside of the bar in the 77th minute.
There was a late scare when left-back Abdelkarim Hassan again gave Al-Sadd hope, with his 25-yard effort finding the bottom corner in the 89th minute but the effort came a little too late as the Mexicans cleverly ran down the clock to deny the Qataris the chance of forcing the game into extra time in the six added minutes.
In the other match of the day, super-sub Bafetimbi Gomis’ sublime moment of skill and cool finish in the 73rd minute was all it took Asian champions Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia to advance into the semis at the end of their nail-biting encounter with against African champions Esperance Sportive de Tunis.
The two sides had been evenly matched from the outset in a frenetic and lively clash. ES Tunis’s Anice Badri was the first to come close, firing just wide, before Al Hilal ended the opening period the stronger as Andre Carrillo’s effort needed both Moez Ben Charifia and Mohamed Yakoubi to keep it out.
The Saudi side’s keeper Abdullah Almuaiouf had to be on high alert when full-back Yasser Alshahrani almost scored a comical looping own goal – producing a clawing save that set them on the way to victory.
Having been benched as a precautionary measure, Gomis took just eight minutes to produce a magical winner. Rolling off the shoulder of the backline, he conjured a masterful flick to deceive the sliding defender before slotting into the bottom corner.
The Saudis, who are making their debut at the prestigious tournament of continental club champions, will next face Brazil’s Flamengo, the CONMEBOL champions, for a shot at the final on Tuesday.
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