Dubai: Al Ahli were left to rue their inability to put the issue beyond doubt in their earlier home matches after they went down to Qatar’s Al Sadd on Tuesday and missed a place in the last-16 stages of the AFC Champions League.
Going in as Group D leaders in Tuesday’s clash against the Doha side, Al Ahli needed only a draw to book their place in the knockout stages and join fellow UAE sides Al Ain and Al Jazira. They seemed to be headed for one of the two spots in Group D until Al Sadd’s Brazilian Rodrigo Tabata struck 11 minutes from time to give the Doha side a 2-1 win to send the 2011 winners through to the last 16.
Al Ahli had their chances of securing their place in the knockouts in their previous home games, first against Sepahan and then against Al Hilal. However, both encounters ended in tame goalless draws — ultimately costing them their rightful place.
Tabata’s sublime chip from the edge of the box over the head of goalkeeper Ahmad Mahmoud was enough for Al Sadd to get the three points they needed to finish second behind Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal, 1-0 winners at home over Iran’s Sepahan in the night’s second encounter.
Brazilian Grafite had fired the visitors ahead after 15 minutes, only to see Khalfan Ebrahim draw the two teams level in the 34th minute before Tabata’s goal in the 79th minute proved the matchwinner.
The loss kept Al Ahli from advancing to the knockout stages of the continental competition after five attempts while, for Al Sadd, it was a fantastic effort after conceding nine goals in back-to-back losses against Al Hilal and Sepahan.
Al Ahli has been in dominant form in domestic competitions so far after opening the season with the Super Cup and then following it up with the Arabian Gulf League and the Arabian Gulf Cup last week. They are in the running for a rare clean sweep at home as they face Al Ain in the President’s Cup final on May 18.
