The head of the football club "Al-Wasl" Ahmed Al-Shafar expressed his appreciation for the game of the "Imperator" team in the match against the Saudi "Al-Hilal", despite the defeat of the team with a score of 0:2. The match took place yesterday in the final round of the Western Asia League as part of the Asian Champions League. His speech also touched on the future of two historical footballers of the "Yellow" team - Fabio Lima and Kayo Kandi. Al-Shafar emphasized that the club does not ignore their future in the club.
"The issue regarding Lima's status in "Al-Wasl" was resolved through the extension of the contract," Al-Shafar noted. He added that the same applies to Kandi, however, at this moment is not the most appropriate time for discussions about contract extensions for players, considering the important stage of the season. Al-Shafar expressed confidence in the team's success in the playoffs of the Asian Champions League after "Al-Wasl" took fifth place in the group.
"The team demonstrated a good game against "Al-Hilal", which is considered one of the strongest teams in Asia and one of the main contenders for victory," he noted, adding that the fans of "Al-Wasl" play a significant role in the team's performances. Al-Shafar also stated that the club should be prepared for subsequent matches.
After completing the group stage, "Al-Wasl" took fifth place with 11 points, winning three matches, drawing two, and losing three. In the playoffs, the team will face the Qatari "Al-Sadd". In this same round, matches will also take place between "Al-Hilal" and the Uzbek "Pakhtakor", "Al-Ahli" and the Qatari "Rayyan", as well as the Saudi "An-Nasr" and the Iranian "Esteghlal". The matches of the first stage of the playoffs will take place on March 3 and 4, the return matches - March 10 and 11.
After the completion of the 1/8 final matches, a draw will take place among all the clubs that have advanced to the quarterfinals. Four clubs from Western Asia will play against four from Eastern Asia. The concluding stages of the Asian Champions League are the quarterfinals, the semifinals, and the final, which will take place in Jeddah from April 25 to May 3.
