Date: 11.12.2011 (16:00 Japan) - [Time Zone Converter] TV: Fox Soccer Channel, Fox Deportes, Other Channels, Online Streams Al Sadd got to the Asian CL final with a lot of controversy, but once there took care of business in front of 40K Jeonbuk fans. Nevertheless, Al Sadd is probably the weakest AFC representative in quite a while. Unlike the last time we had an all-Arab quarterfinal (2005: Saudi Arabia's Al Ittihad vs. Egypt's Al Ahly) I expect an African victory here.
Oh, looking forward to this game. Big match in the region, just a pity it isn't being played in the UAE, a bit closer to home. Not sure what to expect from both teams at this point, but hopefully a good advert for Arab football.
Yes, it's a pity that no Arab club won the African or Asian Champions League while the CWC was hosted in the UAE. That certainly would have helped attendance in Abu Dhabi. Especially a big club from Egypt or Saudi Arabia. But of course, as soon as the CWC moves away both confederations have Arab winners.
Let's take a closer look at the teams... Both clubs have something in common. They are domestic record holders in league titles, and have been the most successful internationally. Both have won their respective Champions League twice, and Espérance can even boast an Afro-Asian Club Championship (modelled after the Intercontinental Cup at the time.) In case you wonder, the 'Blood & Gold' got their name from the place of club foundation - the Café de l'Espérance (hope). Between the two, Al Sadd's foreign players have a more impressive resume: - Nadir Belhadj (Algeria, ex-Portsmouth) - Mamadou Niang (Senegal, Fenerbahce, Marseille) - Abdul Kader Keita (Ivory Coast, Galatasaray, Lyon) - Lee Jung-Soo (South Korea) Keita's all-important goal in the Asian CL final: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG9EnTLqoEk"]????? ?????? ???? -????- Keita 2ND Goal On Jeonbuk Hyundai‎ - YouTube[/ame] Espérance's foreigners by comparison have mainly played in Africa, but it was defender Harrison Afful from Cameroon who's goal brought the African CL title to Tunis: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU8qnsL9DCA"]Match Espérance Sportive de Tunis 1+0 Wydad Athletic African Champions League HD - YouTube[/ame]
Don't forget, Al Sadd were also crowned Arab Champions League winners in 2001, which is a Arab Championship and at times probably even tougher to win than the Asian Champions League
Well, Espérance has three regional Arab titles as well but I thought I would stick to the main club competition for each confederation (and anything beyond). Are you an Al Sadd fan? Perhaps you could tell us a bit more about the Qatari players?
Well, an Afro-Asian Club title wasn' exactly huge, but I see your point in mentioning it. I'm not an Al Sadd fan, more of a follower of the league and other leagues in the region (Asian side that is). I don't follow Al Sadd closely but was behind them in winning the ACL, just for the mere fact of bringing the championship back to West Asia. But what I do think is that they have a reasonable team. Niang and Keitar up front are strong runners. Saqr in goal got the plaudits in the ACL final, yes pulled off some game saving saves but at times I wonder from crosses. I think they can give Esperance a decent game, but saying this, I don't know what Esperance bring themselves to he big occasion. Yes they are champions aswell, but many thought Al Sadd are weak champions. For all I know Esperance could be the same from followers in that part of the world. But what drives me for his game is two regional champions. Both playing in a similiar part of the world And liek you said before, this could have been an Afro-Asian Cup game. And before the CWC came along it wouldn't have been noticed, now it is.
Thanks for posting this! I don't know anything about these teams or leagues other than what you've just posted, so having a little back story is great. I'm really excited for the CWC - especially since FSC will be televising it here - precisely because I'll get to see a lot of teams like this that I would never otherwise be able to watch. Hopefully you'll do a thread like this for each game? It would be appreciated if you do.
We always discuss the CWC extensively here on the FIFA board, so stick around. The CWC brings together teams that would otherwise never play each other, so there is a lot of "mystery" involved. Not so much in this case as the Arab world has long had combined club competitions spanning both confederations. Well Espérance are back-to-back finalists in Africa so that level of consistency should make them the favorite in this match.
Confused him with Yannick N'Djeng. Anyway, 30 minutes to go. As I'm at work (weekends are Fri/Sat in the UAE) I will be watching both games afterwards. I expect a careful beginning to this match with both teams approaching the game with a 'defense first' mindset. I think EST will win it, but only by a narrow margin.
2-0 to Al Sadd SC in the 49th. Im happy the AFC team is doing well, but it's unfortunate cause Esperance is playing the more attractive style but just lacking that professionalism sort of.
FT: 2-1 for Al Sadd Al Sadd just keeps surprising me. Keita and Niang work great together up front and are always good for a goal. Espérance did well to dominate early on but slept in defense twice and gave up two goals. You can't do that at the CWC where there is no room for mistakes. Al Sadd vs. Barcelona. Crazy!
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDt0FeDk8nE"]Esperance ST vs Al-Sadd - 1/4 de final Mundial de Clubes - Diciembre 11, 2011 - Toyota, Japon - YouTube[/ame]
