Alkass English
Al Sadd SC produced a remarkable turnaround to defeat Shabab Al Ahli 4-2 in their AFC Champions League Elite 2025-26 tie at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Tuesday, keeping their hopes alive with their first win of the campaign.
Shabab Al Ahli appeared on course to secure their Round of 16 spot after Federico Cartabia opened the scoring in the 47th minute, followed by Yahya Al Ghassani converting a penalty in the 70th minute to put the UAE side 2-0 up. The Qatari side, however, staged a dramatic fightback late in the game.
* Rafa Mujica scored Al Sadd’s first goal in the 75th minute, reducing the deficit to 2-1.
* Tarek Salman equalized in the 90+5th minute off a Roberto Firmino layoff.
* Mujica then completed his hat-trick with goals in the 96th and 103rd minutes, with the second and third goals coming in stoppage time, securing a 4-2 victory.
Mujica praised the team and coach after the win. “We played a great match and it was truly very difficult,” he said. “We were down by two goals, but the coach gave me confidence and I was able to score three goals. I’m happy that I could help the team and I thank the coach for believing in me.”
Head coach Roberto Mancini highlighted his team’s resilience. “The match wasn’t easy. We were down by two goals, but we came back strong and showed determination until the final minutes. We deserved this important victory. This win is a good opportunity for us to get back on track—both domestically and continentally. We must continue to work hard.”
Shabab Al Ahli, who had looked in control for much of the match, were left frustrated. “After the first goal, we were the better team,” said head coach Paulo Sousa. “We were leading by two goals until late in the match, but in football anything can happen. To come out losing 4-2 is very difficult to accept.”
Al Sadd will now aim to build on this momentum when they face Tractor FC (Iran) and Al Ittihad (Saudi Arabia) when the season resumes in February, while Shabab Al Ahli take on Al Hilal SFC and Al Ahli Saudi FC.