Al Duhail players and officials pose for a group photo ahead of their departure for Doha.
Head coach Hernan Crespo praised Al Duhail players after the Red Knights entered the Round of 16 of the AFC Champions League by winning their group.
Al Duhail defeated Sepahan 5-2 in their last Group D match on Tuesday to complete five wins on a trot.
They ended the group stage with a whopping 15 points, having lost their opening game to group hosts Al Taawoun before embarking on a five-game perfect winning run.
Last year’s top scorer Olunga added four goals to his nine from 2021, while it was Edmilson who picked up the mantle, his eight strikes this term putting him comfortably at the top of the scoring charts as Al Duhail bounced back from last year’s disappointing group stage exit.
“The competition in this group was very difficult and I thank the players for the great efforts they put in during the six matches in a very short period of time,” said Crespo.
“When you win five out of six matches and you top this strong group in this continental competition, it shows that you have a group of quality players. We were very calm and focused throughout this match, and that is why we managed to score more than one goal and achieve the victory.
“There is still a lot of time to prepare for the next round of this tournament, and we aim to go far in this important tournament that includes the best teams in Asia.”
Meanwhile, Sepahan head coach Moharram Navidkia apologised to fans after his side crashed out of the AFC Champions League following a defeat by Al Duhail.
Sepahan needed a win coupled with their direct rivals Al Taawoun dropping points to move into second place, but while the Saudi side did lose to Pakhtakor later in the night, Navidkia’s men were unable to complete the task at hand, falling to a comprehensive defeat at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium.
“Frankly, I cannot believe what happened, especially the first half, in which we conceded three goals, which made our task more difficult in the second half,” said Navidkia.
“We tried to put pressure on the opponent during the second half and we had a lot of opportunities, but we did not take advantage of them, unlike the opposing team who took advantage of their chances in the best way, and I think that the mental factor was decisive, which the opponent excelled in as well.”
“We apologise to the Sepahan fans, who were waiting for us to qualify for the next round, but we did not succeed in achieving that due to some mistakes that cost us winning more than one match, in addition to fixture congestion also negatively affecting the performance of the players.”
