Doha: Al Sadd coach Hussein Amotta lauded the determination of his players after they came from a goal down to beat Al Ahli 2-1 on Tuesday to advance to the knockout stage of the AFC Champions League. Grafite had fired the visitors ahead after 15 minutes at the Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium but Khalfan Ibrahim levelled in the 34th minute before Rodrigo Tabata sent a sublime chip from the edge of the box over the head of goalkeeper Ahmed Mahmoud as the Qatari side claimed an invaluable three points. As a result they leapfrogged Al Ahli into second place and will now face Group B winners Foolad Khouzestan of Iran in the Round of 16 next month. “The players gave a great performance and they showed big determination to win the match and they held on to the chance to qualify for the knockout stage,” said a delighted Amotta. “The match was important for the two teams who both have good history. We could have finished the first half with a better result as we missed five real chances. The players showed good determination after conceding the opening goal and we scored the second goal in perfect timing which helped us to win the match.”