Cazorla guides Al Sadd to the final of the Qatar Cup

“But … is Cazorla right-handed or left-handed?”, The few fans who were able to enjoy the Asturian's debut in the Al Sadd shirt must have asked themselves. After several weeks training with the team led by Xavi HernandezCazorla starred in a short film worthy of the great stars. The former Villarreal started the Cup semifinals against Al Ahli, a match that ended up unblocking with a left foot from the front against which Ivanildo Rodrigues could do nothing. Akram Afif, with Santi already on the bench, made it 0-2 with which Xavi's men confirmed their presence in the final of the tournament, where they will face Al Arabi.

Al Sadd ended up smiling, but the ending could have been different if the script for the second half had been similar to the one for the first. The team led by Xavi Hernández came out cold to the meeting and Cazorla, who played inside and was escorted by Woo-young Jung and Rodrigo Tabata, had a hard time finding his place on the field. Al Sadd was weak in defense and barely made dangerous plays, something that changed in the second half. Santi Cazorla took a step forward and Akram Afif, who came off the bench, brought more verticality to the attack. With both on the field it was 0-1: Bounedjah left the ball dead in the front and Cazorla, who passed by, put it in the square with his left foot, his “bad” leg. And it is not the first time, since both his first goal in the Primera (with Villarreal in 2005) and his first goal in the Premier (with Arsenal in 2012) were also with the left.

Already ahead on the scoreboard Al Sadd was another. Santi Cazorla took gallons, reached the area more and was liked with some quality driving and long trips. Three minutes from the end, the former Villarreal player was substituted and received a standing ovation from everyone in the stadium. Shortly after, Afif closed the scoring and confirmed Al Sadd's presence in the final, where Xavi Hernández could lift his third trophy as a coach in Qatar. Those of Doha will be measured in the match for the title to Al Arabi of another ex-Barcelona player like Marc Muniesa, who had to come back to beat Al Rayyan in the semifinals (1-2).