Shabab Al-Ahly’s qualification is not a coincidence, but rather the result of 10 years of work

Shabab Al-Ahly returned to the forefront of continental competition again, after qualifying for the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League for the elite, for the first time in 11 years, following its well-deserved victory over Iranian Tractor by 3-0, in a match that confirmed the team’s ability to go far in the tournament.

This achievement represents an important milestone in the career of the Dubai Knights, who previously reached this role in the 2015 edition, when the team continued its journey until the final match before losing the title 1-0 to the Chinese team Quanzhou, which gives the fans positive indications of the possibility of repeating that scenario this season.

For his part, Shabab Al-Ahly coach, the Portuguese Paulo Sousa, praised the great work done by the club’s management over the past years, stressing that “qualifying for this round was not the result of coincidence, but rather the result of a long-term project.”

Souza said after the match: “It is a big step and an important stage. We are working very well, and since 2017 there has been continuous work to develop the team, while relying on and investing in young elements.”

He added: “Since my arrival last year, my goal has been to build a winning mentality within the team, and strive to be the dominant party in the matches, and to reach these advanced stages of the tournament.”

Souza stressed that the team does not intend to stop at this point, indicating that the next stage requires more focus, saying: “This is a new step for the players and the club, and we must now recover and focus on the next competitor in order to advance another step.”

Regarding the course of the match, the coach explained that the team was seeking greater control, especially after the opponent’s numerical deficiency, adding: “We worked hard, and I was hoping that we would control the match more when we were playing with a numerical advantage, but that gave us an opportunity to carry out counterattacks, and with the quality of the players we had many opportunities to score.”

The match witnessed clear transformations, as Shabab Al-Ahly began to impose its control in the first minutes, before Tractor gradually regained its balance in the first half, and imposed its rhythm on some periods of play.

But the turning point came at the beginning of the second half, after Tractor’s goalkeeper, Ali Reza Beiranvand, was sent off in the 52nd minute, which gave the “Dubai Knights” a clear advantage, which the team exploited perfectly.

Youri Cesar succeeded in opening the scoring from a penalty kick 13 minutes after the expulsion, before Saeed Ezzat Allah increased the score 10 minutes before the end of the match, while Matthews Lima completed the hat-trick in stoppage time, confirming Shabab Al-Ahly’s superiority in the second half.

With this victory, Shabab Al-Ahly sets a date with Buriram United of Thailand in the quarter-finals, in an anticipated confrontation during which the team seeks to continue its continental journey, benefiting from the great moral momentum it achieved after this victory.

. Shabab Al-Ahly sets a date with Buriram United of Thailand in the quarter-finals.