Roberto Mancini experienced a highly successful day, with his Al Sadd team achieving a dual celebration: winning the Qatar Stars League title and eliminating Simone Inzaghi’s Al Hilal from the Asian Champions League.
The former Italian national team coach returned to club management after departing the Azzurri in August 2023 to take the helm at Al Sadd in November 2025.
Mancini’s day was made even more special as he learned earlier that afternoon that Al Sadd had mathematically secured the Qatar Stars League championship, following Al Shamal’s 2-0 loss to Qatar SC. This victory was confirmed before Al Sadd even took to the field.
Just hours later, his team was involved in a thrilling AFC Asian Champions League Round of 16 encounter against Inzaghi’s Al Hilal in Jeddah. The match ended in a dramatic 3-3 draw after extra time, with Mancini’s Al Sadd ultimately prevailing 4-2 in a penalty shootout.
Al Sadd demonstrated remarkable resilience, coming back from a goal down on three separate occasions to force the shootout and earn a spot in the quarter-finals. They are scheduled to face Japan’s Vissel Kobe on Thursday.
Mancini has recently been rumored as a potential candidate for a return to the Italy national team job.
