Doha: Aspire Football Dreams kept their hopes of Al Kass glory alive as they edged past Al Ahli 1-0 to book a place in the semi-finals.
The gripping contest looked to be heading for penalties until the deadlock was broken by Souleymane Aw late in the match and will meet Inter Milan in the last four clash.
Both sides had shown moments of genuine promise in their previous games.
The Saudi outfit had surprised everyone with their impressive 3-0 defeat of PSG, while powerful, attacking football combined with tenacious pressing had characterised Aspire’s approach thus far.
And, as the game got underway, Football Dreams picked up where they had left off, combining well to dominate possession as they worked to try and unlock a stubborn Saudi defence.
This was easier said than done, however, as Al Ahli had not conceded for 175 minutes of their time at Al Kass. The exception was a devastating five-minute spell against Real Madrid, during which Los Blancos had fired three superb goals that any defence would have struggled to prevent.
Meanwhile, Al Ahli reprised the tactic that had served them so well previously, attempting to hit their opponents on the break by playing balls over the top for their speedy frontline to latch on to. Aspire’s relentless pressure forced a corner on the right. Nuhu’s delivery was excellent, and centre back Aw rose highest to hammer a head home off the left-hand post. Having defended so resolutely throughout, the onus was now on Al Ahli to take the game to their opponents. They were unable to respond in kind though, as Aspire continued to deny space to The Royals, and saw the game out with a minimum of fuss.The Peninsula
