Late goals lift Al Sadd past Tractor in AFC Champions League
DOHA: Al Sadd kept their qualification hopes alive with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Iran’s Tractor on Tuesday in the seventh and penultimate round of the AFC Champions League group stage at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
The first half ended goalless before Rafa Mojica broke the deadlock midway through the second half, finishing from an assist by Akram Afif. Brazilian forward Roberto Firmino sealed the win with a goal in the final minute.
The result handed Tractor their first defeat of the continental campaign, dropping the Iranian side from second to third place in the group. Al Sadd, meanwhile, climbed temporarily to eighth.
A crowd of 10,834 spectators packed the stadium, urging on Al Sadd in what was a must-win match to keep their qualification hopes alive.
With the victory, Al Sadd moved to eight points, level on goal difference with seventh-placed Al Duhail and ninth-placed Sharjah of the United Arab Emirates. Tractor remained on 14 points in third place, a position that guarantees progression to the next round.
