Qatar's Hassan Al Haydos celebrates after scoring the equaliser.
Doha, Qatar: Hassan Al Haydos scored the equaliser as Al Sadd opened their AFC Champions League Elite campaign with a 1-1 draw against Al Shorta in an absorbing contest in Baghdad yesterday.
The 2011 champions fell behind to a 28th-minute strike from Dominique Mendy with Al Haydos levelling the score in the 62nd minute.
Akram Afif missed a golden chance to seal a last-gasp winner deep into stoppage time, as both sides settled for a point.
Al Shorta, backed by a passionate home crowd at Al-Zawraa Stadium, dominated large phases of the game, while Felix Sanchez’s Al Sadd - coming off a surprise defeat to Al Shahania in the Qatar Stars League - struggled to find rhythm.
Mendy had already fired narrowly wide from distance early on as Al Shorta applied sustained pressure.
Al Sadd’s first real opportunity came in the 24th minute, when Rafa Mujica was denied a shot on goal by a crucial intervention from defender Ameer Sabah.
Just four minutes later, Al Shorta capitalised on their dominance. Mendy surged forward after a set piece and unleashed a powerful strike from the edge of the box, which deflected off Boualem Khoukhi and wrong-footed goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
The Wolves responded with a spell of pressure before the break. Afif narrowly missed the target while Mujica struck the left post after Agustin Soria’s effort as Al Shorta held on to their lead at halftime.
Al Sadd were denied by the woodwork again after the restart, when Khoukhi’s header from an Afif corner rattled the crossbar.
But the equaliser came soon after. In the 62nd minute, with pressure building following Khoukhi’s attempt, Al Haydos capitalised on a loose ball in the box, slotting a low, left-footed shot into the corner to level the match.
Al Shorta pushed for a winner late on with Mahmoud Al Mawas and Shareef Abdul Kadhim both trying their luck, but without success.
Al Sadd had the best chance to snatch all three points in stoppage time. Afif was released by a brilliant long ball from Soria but the Qatari international fired his angled shot over the bar with only the goalkeeper to beat.
Al Sadd will next host Sharjah at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on September 30.
Al Duhail face Al Hilal test tonight
Al Duhail take on Saudi giants Al Hilal in their AFC Champions League opener in Riyadh today, with coach Djamel Belmadi backing his side to deliver.
“Our preparations went well. We’re looking forward to a strong start,” Belmadi said.
“Al Hilal are a strong team with quality players, but we’ll do our best and aim for a positive result.”
Kick-off is at 9:15pm.
