Al Nassr rally to beat Al Sadd in ACL quarters; Shanghai held

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr came from behind to seal a valuable 2-1 win over Qatar’s Al Sadd in the first leg of the 2019 AFC Champions League quarter-final at King Fahd International Stadium on Monday.

Making their first-ever quarter-final appearance, Al Nassr were hopeful of securing their first win over Qatari opponents in the competition, but had their work cut out for them by a late injury to star striker Abdelrazzaq Hamdallah.

In turn, Al Sadd needed a positive result from Riyadh to set them up for an easier task at home as they chase a second consecutive semi-final.

After a strong spell of dominance early on, the home crowd thought their side had taken the lead in the 14th minute when Abdulrahman Al Dossari dispossessed Gabi inside the centre circle and broke free before supplying the ball to Saleh Al Abbas.

Al Abbas beat Al Sadd goalkeeper Saad Al Sheeb from an angle, only to see the ball bounce off the upright and away.

When the stalemate was broken in the 21st minute, it was Ali Asad who sent the fans into complete silence.

Hassan Al Haydos failed to control Abdelkarim Hassan’s cross on the edge of the box, but the visitors caught a lucky break as the ball fell to Asad who swept it with a first-time strike into the top corner to open the scoring for Al Sadd against the run of play.

Al Nassr piled the pressure on their opponents as they chased the equaliser and restored parity a minute before the half-time break.

The Al Sadd defence failed to deal with Giuliano’s cross from the corner, allowing Al Dossari to pounce on the loose ball, drilling home the leveller.

Meanwhile, a pair of penalties from Brazilian striker Hulk saw Shanghai SIPG salvage a 2-2 draw with Urawa Red Diamonds in the first leg of the 2019 AFC Champions League quarter-final at Shanghai Stadium on Tuesday, leaving the tie delicately poised ahead of next month’s second leg.