Al Qadsiah begin Asian campaign with win as Brendan Rodgers prioritises player recovery

Al Qadsiah began their AFC Champions League Elite campaign with a 2-1 victory over Al Wasl at Prince Mohammed bin Fahd Stadium on Monday, with manager Brendan Rodgers saying rest and squad rotation will be central to the club’s plans.

Roy Vitoria admitted Al Wasl failed to make the most of their opportunities and were punished for their mistakes in the second half of the league-phase opener.

“We played a good and evenly matched first half and were well organised, but we were not effective enough in attack,” Vitoria said at his post-match news conference.

“In the second half, Al Qadsiah took advantage of our mistakes and scored twice. Our team improved afterwards and managed to score a late goal, but there was not enough time to find an equaliser.

“I am happy with the performance, but not with the result.”

Asked about conceding twice in quick succession and whether a lack of concentration was responsible, Vitoria said Al Qadsiah had been well organised and efficient when chances came their way.

“They tried to make use of the opportunities they had and succeeded,” he said. “We could have been more focused and avoided allowing two consecutive goals. Unfortunately, we woke up too late in the match, scored only once and could not turn the result around.”

Rodgers was pleased with Al Qadsiah’s start to their first Asian campaign, describing the victory as an important step for the club.

“We started in the right way and won our first Asian match,” he said. “We are happy with what we have produced in the league and in the Asian competition. With some rest and improved conditions, we will perform even better.”

The Al Qadsiah manager said his side had faced demanding circumstances in recent weeks, having played three matches in a short period in high temperatures and humidity.

“After everything we have been through and the pressure of the fixtures, it was important to get a win in our continental opener,” Rodgers added. “Now we can rest and review everything that has happened.”

Rodgers made changes to his starting line-up, including around five local players, to manage the squad’s workload.

“We tried to rotate the players to some extent,” he said. “It was important to give some of them a rest, and we achieved the most important thing, which was the victory. That is an excellent step in our first Asian appearance.”

He also stressed the need to manage the players’ physical demands, pointing to Quinones as an example.

“Quinones went deep into the World Cup and joined us after around three weeks,” Rodgers said. “He has played in every match, and today he came off suffering from fatigue and showed signs of an injury.”

Al Qadsiah have played nine matches in one month, and Rodgers said the upcoming break would first be used for recovery. Some players will leave during the interval to rest before the squad resumes more intensive preparations.

“After all this pressure, everyone needs sufficient rest,” he said. “Our players are not machines. They need rest and rotation, and it was important to deal properly with the demands of the fixture schedule.”