Karim Boudiaf chief orchestrator for Lekhwiya

Published on: 23 February 2017

Doha: Lekhwiya’s last AFC Champions League appearance at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium resulted in a demoralising 4-0 reversal to compatriots El Jaish in the first leg of last year’s round of 16 to effectively bring an end to Djamel Belmadi’s side’s continental run.

Back at their home venue in the opening round of 2017 fixtures on Monday, there was to be no such capitulation, as a controlled performance from start to finish saw a well-oiled Lekhwiya cruise to a 3-0 victory over Al Jazira of the United Arab Emirates to set the early pace in Group B.

Chief orchestrator on the night was Karim Boudiaf (second right, back row), who was at the heart of a thoroughly dominant performance. Always available in the centre of the park, the midfielder had more touches (97) than any other player and his game-topping 85 passes – with a highly impressive 83.5% accuracy – was, incredibly, 42 more than Al Jazira’s most involved player, Mbark Boussoufa.

While the prolific Youssef El Arabi again grabbed the headlines – he boasts a strike rate of more than a goal a game during the current campaign – it was Qatar international Boudiaf who controlled the flow of the tie, allowing those around him to flourish.

Boudiaf played a crucial role in the Moroccan striker’s opening goal on 11 minutes, coolly playing in Tunisian Youssef Msakni to cross for El Arabi to head home.

Lekhwiya, largely due to a string of world-class saves from goalkeeper Ali Khaseif, didn’t increase their lead until 10 minutes from time, but this was as dominant a performance as was seen in week one of the continental competition and Boudiaf dictated the play throughout. 

The number of passes between Boudiaf and midfield teammate Nam Tae-hee (27) was the top passing combination on the pitch while, tellingly, a look at the influential Qatari player’s average position shows him stationed exactly in the centre of the field.

But it was not only Boudiaf’s composure in possession that swung the tie in Lekhwiya’s favour. A breakdown of his defensive performance also reveals how he was key in cutting off any threat the visitors may have posed.

Boudiaf came out on top in 15 of 17 duels with the opposition – again, the highest on the pitch – while he won 75% of tackles he made, rendering Al Jazira almost non-existent as an attacking force.

So, while the scoreline dictated the Emiratis remained in the game with 10 minutes left on the clock, Boudiaf’s brilliance in both pulling the strings and breaking up play had effectively won the tie for the hosts prior to Msakni’s all-important second.

El Arabi added a third in stoppage time to put the gloss on a fine display and, should Lekhwiya and Boudiaf continue in the same vein, Belmadi’s team may yet erase the memory of last year’s painful exit.

Source: the-afc.com

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