Al Sadd coach Jorge Fossati is thrilled after his side pulled off an upset by beating African champions Esperance 2-1 in their Club World Cup quarter-final, setting up a semi-final tie against Barcelona on Thursday.
The Qatari side progressed thanks to goals from Khalfan Al Khalfan and Abdulla Koni on Sunday afternon at the Toyota Stadium.
“[It’s] another dream come true”, the Uruguayan boss told reporters at the post-match press conference.
The 59-year-old then noted that the gathered press appeared more interested his team’s next opponents than on his victorious players.
“You’re all asking a lot about Barcelona, but please write about Al Sadd!” the Uruguayan joked.
He then, more seriously, added: “[Playing against Barcelona] will be a tough challenge, the toughest in our career.”
Fossati praised his team’s success despite only having enjoyed 43 per cent of possession and just seven attempts on goal.
“Esperance is a good team, hard to defeat, but we did very well and we were fortunate,” he continued.
“In the first ten minutes they had more control and they overcame our midfield, so we had to change game plan, and after then we were able to have more control.”
“This victory is very meaningful for Qatar and for Asia,” the former goalkeeper declared.
“I am very happy for Asian football and for the Gulf countries, and the Middle East.”
As for Thursday’s challenge, Fossati showed his sense of humour when asked how he might approach defeating the La Liga holders, who defeat Real Madrid 3-1 in the Clasico on Saturday.
“Regarding the next game, I have told the management at Al Sadd to ask FIFA to let us play with 15 or 16 players, so maybe we’ll have a chance,” he joked.