Qatar- Made mistakes, but we didn't deserve to lose: Al Sadd coach Xavi

(MENAFN - Gulf Times) Al Sadd head coach Xavi Hernandez said his side deserved a better result, even as Al Nassr coach Mano Menezes credited the experienced players of his side in their 3-1 win in the AFC Champions League group stage match on Saturday. Goals from last year's top scorer Abderazak Hamdallah, and second half substitutes Abdulmajeed al-Sulaiheem and Khalid al-Ghannam gave 2020 semi-finalists Al Nassr their first victory of this year's campaign, while Santi Cazorla pulled one back for the Qatari team. 'The match was difficult and it should have ended with a draw, said Xavi. 'We made some mistakes in the first half which allowed Al Nassr to open the scoring. 'We improved and managed to level the scores but then Al Nassr took advantage of their quick counter attacks to score two goals but I believe we deserved a better result. The 41-year-old coach continued: 'We trained to stop the flanks of Al Nassr but we didn't implement that today and committed mistakes which gave them the chance to attack us and score. 'Al Nassr proved today that they are one of the best teams in the competition but despite this, we didn't deserve to lose. Brazilian Menezes, who took charge of Al Nassr for the first time after arriving in Riyadh on Monday, said he opted to rely on the experienced faces in the team for an important match against difficult opponents. 'It is always hard to prepare a team in a short time, especially for such an important match, said Menezes. 'My main worry was tactical discipline and this is why I made the easiest choice which is to rely on the experience of the players. This is our first victory of the competition and all the credit goes to the players. 'All the players who played the match - whether from the beginning or in the second half - managed to maintain the way we started the tie, said the 58-year-old coach. 'Big matches need certain strategies to show the best of the players in key moments, said Menezes. 'At the beginning of the match, we didn't show all what we have but we improved in the second half. 'After conceding the equaliser, we organised ourselves and took advantage of quick counter attacks to score two goals and win the match. Qatar champions Al Sadd are seeking their first win after needing a last-gasp equaliser to salvage a point against Foolad Khouzestan of Iran on Matchday One. Al Sadd will look to get their campaign back on track against Al Wehdat of Jordan on Tuesday while Al Nassr will face Foolad in a top-of-the-table clash.      MENAFN18042021000067011011ID1101939354