Al Qadsiah defeats Al Wasl 2-1 in AFC Champions League Elite opener

Al Qadsiah secured a 2-1 victory against UAE's Al Wasl in their opening match of the AFC Champions League Elite. Following the match, Al Qadsiah manager Brendan Rodgers expressed satisfaction with the result, noting that the team started their continental campaign in the right manner despite facing high temperatures, humidity, and a dense match schedule.

Rodgers emphasized the importance of player rotation to manage physical fatigue, stating, “Players are not machines.” He noted that the technical staff utilized several local players to manage the workload.

Al Wasl manager Rui Vitória expressed satisfaction with his team's organized performance in the first half but noted a lack of offensive effectiveness. He attributed the loss to Al Qadsiah capitalizing on errors to score two consecutive goals, though Al Wasl managed to score a late goal to narrow the margin.