Al Duhail took control of their AFC Champions League first leg match away in the UAE thanks to 4-2 win over Al Ain. Youssef El Arabi and Nam Tae-hee were on target but two goals from the home team gave them a rare glimmer of hope for the second leg.
Al Duhail reached the quarter-final of the last edition, but this year everything is going perfectly for Qatar's league champions as Al Duhail became only the second team ever to win first seven straight games in the tournament. Goals from El Arabi, Nam Tae-hee, Ismael Mohammed and Almoez Ali gave the Qatar champions one leg into the last eight.
Speaking after the match, Belmadi said: "This victory was achieved following a special performance from our players in a confrontation that was not easy especially that we played at their stadium. The persistence of the players during the match was the reason of getting out with a positive result."
Trying not be overconfident, the Algerian coach said:"Despite this victory, the team is not guaranteed qualification yet as there is still a match in Doha next week. We have to work harder to achieve our goal and qualify to the quarter-finals of the competition and this will not be easy at all."
Buoyed by home fans, Al Ain grabbed two goals in the latter part of the game, a situation Belmadi described,"We played outside our stadium and away from our fan so it's normal that Al Ain tries to return and score. We respect our opponent and we are preparing well for the home match."
According to the club's website, Nam was named the man of the match. The diminutive playmaker scored a spectacular goal characterised by his individual brilliance and technical abilities. He received the ball in his half from teammate Mohammed. The South Korean nutmegged his marker and ran half the field before slotting the ball past the Emirati goalkeeper.
Expressing his delight after the game, Nam said:"It was a special victory to achieve against Al Ain. What makes this victory special is another winning streak achieved outside our stadium."
"The first leg is over and there is the return match in Doha. We have to work hard to cross this round. I have to congratulate the players on their performance for securing this victory which was not easy, but in the end, we were able to take our chances and we scored four goals."
By Ikoli Victor
