Fitness made the difference, says Morais after Al Wahda secure ACL last-16 spot

Al Wahda booked their spot in the Round of 16 of the AFC Champions League Elite 2025-26 after coming from behind to defeat Al Sadd 3-1 on Tuesday with Jose Morais highlighting the higher energy levels of his team as the reason for their success.

An energetic second half was in sharp contrast to a subdued first 45 minutes with the UAE side overpowering their opponents through a brace from Dusan Tadic and one from Caio Canedo.

“The qualification was a consequence of what we intended to do,” said Morais. “We intended to compete, do our best and get the three points so I’m happy for the players and the club.

“We wanted to control a little bit in the first half because we knew we were fitter because we had an additional day of rest compared to them but they are a good team with a good squad.

“Then in the second half, we increased the intensity a little to take advantage of the tiredness of Al Sadd. The team became more aggressive and we created more opportunities. We dominated completely and I’m happy with the three points.”

Roberto Mancini’s continental debut did not go as planned as Qatar’s Al Sadd failed to hold on after going ahead through Claudinho’s penalty in first half stoppage time.

The Italian, who was only overseeing his second match, remained confident that Al Sadd can still turn things around as they are only four points off eighth spot.

“We were excellent in the first half,” said Italian Mancini. “We scored and played brilliantly, and we could have scored even more goals.

“In the second half, we lost Firmino and Guilherme, and we made several mistakes that allowed the opposing team to come back. The match didn’t go our way.

“Al Sadd are a great team and we must improve. We should use this break to develop the team further. We have a difficult task ahead but I have complete faith in the players to improve in the coming period.”

Meanwhile, Simone Inzaghi will not allow his Al Hilal to rest on their laurels despite securing their fifth straight continental AFC Champions League Elite knockout stage berth with three matches to spare in Riyadh on Tuesday.

The 4-0 success over Iraq’s Al Shorta saw Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal keep their perfect run intact and the 49-year-old is determined to extend their winning momentum until the end of the league stage, with top spot the Italian’s target.

“Today’s match was good, and I commend the players,” said Inzaghi. “I’m happy with the performance of both the starters and the substitutes. The most important thing is that we continue working hard, and we have an important match on Saturday.

“After the fifth match, there’s a clear gap in the standings between the teams that have already qualified and the rest. Now we have three more league stage matches ahead of us, and we’re striving to finish in first place.”

Despite keeping a majority of his star players on the bench, Inzaghi’s side still proved too strong for Al Shorta as Marcos Leonardo netted a brace with Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Joao Cancelo also getting on the scoresheet.

Defeat did not mean the door is shut on Al Shorta but the window of opportunity is fast closing with head coach Moamen Soliman admitting that absences robbed the Iraq side a chance of competing.

“We know the value of our opponents,” said Soliman. “Al Hilal are a great team, and we played a good first half and tried our best, but the team collapsed after the red card (for Ahmed Yahia) and the second goal.

“I can’t blame any team that faces Al Hilal. Al Hilal could play in the English Premier League.

Saudi Arabia wants the Saudi League to become the biggest in the region, and they’re making good progress towards achieving this target.

“We had six players missing today and it hurt us. If Al Hilal have absences, they still have a strong second squad but we couldn’t cope.”