Nostalgia takes Al Sadd fans back to memories of the year 2011, which witnessed the team climbing to the podium in the AFC Champions League for the second and last time so far, as it seeks to restore those glories.
The official website of the Asian Football Confederation continues to shed light again on the most important continental competition at the club level in a series of special reports that review some of the features of the competition and statistics for the Al Sadd team.
Al-Sadd won the special promotion ticket to the knockout rounds after it succeeded in occupying fourth place in the general standings of the Al-Gharb Group teams with 12 points from 3 victories and a draw in the same without losing, scoring 8 goals and conceding 4 times.
The Qatari team won over the Iranian Esteghlal team 2-0, the latter’s compatriot Persepolis 1-0, and the Saudi team Al-Nassr 2-1, while it tied with Al Ain of the Emirates 1-1, and with the same result it also tied with Al Wasl of the Emirates and Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia.
Akram, the most prominent players
The talented star and the best player in the Asian continent, Akram Afif, leads the hopes of the fans who rely greatly on him, as the player has succeeded in scoring 3 goals in the continental competition so far and contributing to many other goals.
In addition to Afif, there are also many brilliant names in the ranks of the Spanish attacking team Mujica, which, along with Afif, tops the team’s top scorers list in the Qatari League, and the experience of Hassan Al-Haydos plays a pivotal role in Al-Sadawi’s midfield.
Remaining matches
Al Sadd have two matches remaining, one no less difficult than the other. In the seventh round, they will face Al-Ahly Saudi Arabia, which, despite having decided to qualify for the round of 16, aspires to continue its successful journey and seize the lead.
While his last match in the second round will be against Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan, which has hopes of qualifying and has every chance of doing so despite occupying ninth place in the general standings with 4 points.
The seventh and eighth round matches will be held on February 4 and 18, 2025.
Club history
Al Sadd, which was founded in 1969, had previously established a strong presence on the continental level when it won the AFC Champions League title twice in 1989 and 2011, the year in which it achieved third place in the Club World Cup.
At the local level, Al Sadd is considered the Qatari club that has won the most titles ever. It has 17 Qatari League titles, 19 Emir Cup titles, and 15 Super Cup titles, and it is the record holder in all three tournaments.