ASIAN champions Al-Sadd booked a FIFA Club World Cup semi-final date with Barcelona thanks to a 2-1 victory over Esperance at the Toyota Stadium. The victory was a testament to the importance of taking one's chances, with the Qataris advancing despite spending the vast majority of this match firmly on the back foot. Esperance were dominant from the outset, and Al-Sadd keeper Mohamed Saqr was twice called upon to deny the Tunisians' Cameroonian striker, Yannick Ndjeng, inside the opening eight minutes. The African champions also had the game's outstanding player in Youssef Msakni, who lit up the match on 19 minutes with a superb piece of skill on the left flank. Eight minutes later, another scintillating solo run from Msakni sliced through the Qataris' defence, but the ball again ended up in Maqr's grasp, with the Al-Sadd keeper proving equal to the 21-year-old's right-foot shot. At this stage, it seemed only a matter of time before Esperance's dominance was rewarded with a goal but, as so often happens, missed opportunities were punished by a classic sucker-punch. It arrived on 34 minutes when Al-Sadd, having struggled to break out of their own half, took a stunning lead. The goal was hardly a thing of beauty, but when Kader Keita's powerful right-foot shot squirmed through the gloves of Moez Ben Cherifia and looped into the air, Khalfan Al Khalfan took full advantage, heading into the net from just under a yard. There was more heartache for the Blood and Gold at the start of the second half though, when Al-Sadd doubled their advantage inside four minutes. Three defenders played central roles in the goal's execution, with Lee Jung-Soo heading Nadir Belhadj's free-kick back across goal for Abdulla Koni to slot home from five yards. Captain Oussama Darragi headed home to bring Esperance back into contention with an hour played. In the frantic climax, Esperance had the ball in the net twice, but each time the "goal" - from Ndjeng and Khaled Ayari - was over-ruled by the referee for offside. Both decisions appeared correct on television replays. Esperance continued to press for a winner as the clock ticked down, but their attempts were in vain and, while they now face a fifth-place play-off, Al-Sadd can look forward to a semi-final today, Thursday, against the all-star European champions. Also today, Esperance stay in Japan for the 5th/6th place play-off match against Monterrey.
