Fossati delighted with Al Sadd´s third place

Al Sadd coach Jorge Fossati praised the win over Kashiwa Reysol on penalties in the Club World Cup third-place play-off.

Neither side managed to find the net in regular time, so the game went to a penalty shootout.

The Qatari showed greater mental fortitude, winning 5-3 with Nadir Belhadj netting the final penalty.

This was the second major fixture that came down to penalties for Al Sadd in as many months as on November 5, Fossati’s men beat South Korean club Jeonbuk Motors 4-2 on penalties to win the Asian Champions League.

“Do I like to win at penalties? I just like to win,” Fossati told reporters.

“My players did their best, the game was balanced, and we accomplished our mission.”

Al Sadd triumphed despite having just six shots to the Japanese side’s 19. Fossati, however, did not focus on statistics, instead choosing to compare the performance to that of Brazilian side Santos.

“You have seen how many chances Santos had against Reysol. There were not many, but they won by three goals,” the 59-year-old said.

“Compared to Santos, however, we defended better, and our performance was very good.”

The win saw Al Sadd become the first West Asian side to place third in the Club World Cup. The previous high mark had been set by Saudi Arabian club Al Ittihad, who placed fourth in 2005.

“I am very proud of my players, and today is a great day for us and for Qatari football,” Fossati said.