Doha [Qatar], August 16: Qatar Stars League champions Al Sadd retained the Al Ahrar Cup after defeating Algeria's Mouloudia 2-0 at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Saturday.
The friendly match, organised by Al Sadd as part of their preparations for the new season, was held for the second consecutive year. Al Sadd also won the inaugural edition in 2025, defeating Morocco's Wydad Casablanca on penalties.
The final was intense, with both sides creating chances but neither able to break the deadlock in the first half. Al Sadd took the lead shortly after the restart when substitute Youssef Abdelrazak finished from a fine pass by Akram Afif.
Hassan Al Haydos then doubled Al Sadd's advantage less than a minute after coming on, scoring with his first touch to help his side retain the trophy.
Al Sadd enjoyed the better of the second half, with a Roberto Firmino goal ruled out by VAR before the Brazilian saw his penalty saved by the Mouloudia goalkeeper.
Al Sadd coach Razvan Lucescu used almost 20 players during the match, while striker Rafa Mujica was forced off with an injury after 15 minutes and was replaced by Abdelrazak, who went on to score the opening goal.
Mouloudia, coached by Tunisia's Khaled Ben Yahia, produced a strong performance and provided Al Sadd with a competitive test ahead of the new season in Qatar and Algeria.
The match was played in an enthusiastic atmosphere in front of 7,403 spectators.
Source: Qatar Tribune
