Baghdad Bounedjah
DOHA: Striker Baghdad Bounedjah expressed his delight after scoring 7 goals to lead Al Sadd to an historic 10-1 victory over Al Arabi in their QNB Stars League (QSL) match, hoping to continue with same form in his team’s crucial AFC Champions League clash later this month.
Bounedjah’s 7-goal tally on Sunday was a new QSL record as former Iraqi international Yunus Mahmud held the previous record of six goals for Al Khor in the 2004/2005 season.
“I am happy to help the team to this historic win,” the Algerian said while commenting on his record-breaking performance.
“I want to thank my team-mates because they helped me to score this huge number of goals: Akram Afif, Al Haydos, Gabi, Xavi and the others,” he said.
Apart from his 7 goals, the 27-year-old also scored a hat-trick in Al Sadd’s 6-0 thrashing over Al Kharaitiyat last week. Bounedjah said that his current form and his team’s result will play an important role when The Wolves will meet Iran’s Esteghial FC in the first leg of AFC Champions League last-8 match on August 27.
“The (Al Arabi) match was really amazing. The win is the most important thing for us, as we look to continue our campaign and also prepare for the AFC Champions League match in high spirits.”
Meanwhile, Al Sadd head coach Jesualdo Ferreira was delighted and surprised with his team’s huge victory, praising Bounedjah for his match-winning performance.
“I did not expect this result. Nobody did. When we made it 3-1, I was assured of a win. In the second half, we went in with an attacking style and we ended up scoring twice in the opening five minutes. After this, Al Arabi gave up completely and we were the better team in every way,” he said.
However, Al Sadd coach said team is yet to face their toughest challenges in the season.
“Until now, we haven’t faced a team that is as strong as us. And so, I cannot say if the team is fit or not. There are teams that are stronger than Al Arabi and Al Kharaitiyat.”
He added: “Both our domestic and overseas players are performing at a high level and I am happy with this big result.”
“The temperature has been high during training sessions and the players haven’t reached their peak fitness levels yet. The ten goals in this match will be a boost for the team ahead of the upcoming match against Al Gharafa, which will be a true test.”
On Bounedjah, Ferreira said: “It is a big achievement to score ten goals over two games and Bounedjah is heading in the right direction to become the league’s top scorer. This is a result of his great understanding with team-mates.”
The coach also lauded Afif’s performance. “Akram is one of the best domestic players in the league. I think he has enough amount of experience playing in Europe, which has helped him a lot. He is a talented player with great capabilities and a team ethic. This is what I love about him. He is going to benefit the national team greatly in the upcoming challenges.”
This season will be good for Al Rayyan: Daniel Goumou
Meanwhile, a number of Al Rayyan players spoke to QSL Online on the Media Day.
While revealing their intention to work very hard towards achieving their goals of winning titles, they expressed optimism that the season will have much in store for The Lions, having made a strong start.
They lifted the Sheikh Jassim Cup and won their QNB Stars League Week 1 game against Al Ahli before being held by Umm Salal.
“This season will be good for Al Rayyan and we’re determined to give off our best. We deserved to win the Sheikh Jassim Cup and our performance in the first two matches in the QNB Stars League showed our quality,” said Daniel Goumou.
“We’ll strive hard to rectify our shortcomings. Our technical staff are out to improve the team’s performance.”
Mowafaq Awad said:“We’re determined to display our best in all competitions this season. After winning the Sheikh Jassim Cup, the focus is now on the QNB Stars League, where the team is playing well despite drawing with Umm Salal. We hope we can achieve our targets with team work.
“We also aim to provide the best for our fans, so we urge them to support us at the stadiums at all matches. It’ll have a positive impact on the players’ performance,” he added.
We’ve had a promising start: Aldoukali Side
“We’ve had a promising start to the season, having won the Sheikh Jassim Cup and QNB Stars League opener against Al Ahli even though we were held by Umm Salal in Week 2.
“Our ambition is to give off our best in all games. We’ll take care not to drop points in the coming weeks. That’ll adversely affect our chances.”
We want to win titles: Abdulrahman Al Korbi
“Our ambitions are high this season. We want to win titles. The team has the potential to achieve our goals. Winning a championship at the beginning of the season will give us motivation,” said Abdulrahman Al Korbi.
“The QNB Stars League field is strong because all teams have strengthened their squads and the level of competition is high.”
We had a fantastic beginning: Sebastian Soria
“It’s a good start to the season. We had a fantastic beginning, winning the Sheikh Jassim Cup and the first match in the QNB Stars League against Al Ahli. Unfortunately, we couldn’t sustain the momentum and were held by Umm Salal in the second game,” Sebastian Soria said.
“Again, it’ll boil down to Al Sadd, Al Duhail and Al Rayyan this season for the QNB Stars League title. Al Sadd and Al Duhail surprised us by scoring many goals in their first two games.”
