Abderrazak Hamdallah targets AFC Champions League Two title with Al Taawoun

Morocco striker Abderrazak Hamdallah says Al Taawoun are aiming to win the AFC Champions League Two after his two goals secured a 3-1 victory over Jordanian club Al-Faisaly and confirmed their place in the round of 16.

Hamdallah scored Al Taawoun’s second and third goals as the Saudi club advanced to the knockout stage. Speaking in comments published by Saudi newspaper Al Riyadiya, he said winning the competition was the team’s primary objective.

“Our ambition is to win the title, and, God willing, we will achieve it,” said Hamdallah.

The forward acknowledged that the match had been challenging, particularly because Al-Faisaly entered the game with nothing to lose.

“It was a difficult match against a strong team,” he said. “The reason it was so difficult was that Al-Faisaly had nothing to lose, but thankfully we managed to win.”

Al Taawoun’s victory ensured their qualification for the last 16 ahead of schedule. Hamdallah believes securing their progress early will give the squad greater comfort during the next stage of the campaign.

“This qualification gives us a period of rest and makes us feel more comfortable,” he added.

Despite reaching the knockout phase of the continental competition, Al Taawoun are still searching for their first victory of the Saudi league season.

Hamdallah said the team had dropped too many points domestically, pointing specifically to their matches against Al-Qadsiah and Al-Ettifaq.

“If we had taken five points from the matches against Al-Qadsiah and Al-Ettifaq, the situation would have changed completely,” he said.