The Emirati club Al-Wahda has taken the lead in the AFC Elite League of Champions after a major 3-1 victory over their Qatari visitors, Al-Sadd.
Al-Wahda secured their place in the Round of 16 of the AFC Elite League of Champions thanks to a precious victory achieved on Tuesday evening over their Qatari guests with a 3-1 score on Al-Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi as part of the fifth round of the continental competition. "The Happy Ones" increased their points to 13, topping the West Asian group, one point ahead of Al-Hilal, who have a postponed match. This makes the remaining three matches for Al-Wahda against Al-Gharfa (Qatar), Al-Ahli (Saudi Arabia), and Al-Hilal a mere formality after securing qualification.
The star of the match was Serbian footballer Dusan Tadic, named the man of the match after scoring two goals for his team in the 55th and 65th minutes. Then, Kaio Caniedo added the third goal in the 87th minute. Earlier, Al-Sadd had opened the score with a penalty converted by Brazilian Claudinho in the first half's added time (45+3).
The start of the match was in favor of Al-Sadd, who applied early pressure on Al-Wahda's goal until they were awarded a penalty due to a defensive error by Ala al-Din Zahir, who attempted to clear a header from Saiss, but the ball hit his hand. The Japanese referee, Ryo Tanemoto, pointed to the spot without hesitation.
After conceding the goal, Al-Wahda gradually found their rhythm and created the first real threat through a close-range shot by Ruben Felipe, which was saved by the Qatari goalkeeper. In the second half, the Emirati team continued their attacking momentum, with Al-Sadd's goalkeeper shining by repelling several dangerous attempts before Tadic managed to equalize, receiving the ball in the penalty area and skillfully placing it into the visitors' net.
Omar Khurbinine missed a golden opportunity to give Al-Wahda the lead after the ball rebounded off the goalkeeper to him, but he fell, and the referee did not call a foul. However, Tadic returned to his brilliant form and snatched the winning goal by finishing a pass from Khurbinine, confidently placing it into the net in the 66th minute.
Substitute Kaio Caniedo put an end to the Qatari team's hopes by scoring the third goal after a perfect assist from Tadic.
