Leganés claimed a 2:1 victory over Al-Sadd in a Club Friendlies fixture on 4 August 2026, a result that came together in the closing stages of the match. The two sides met in what was another pre-season opportunity for both clubs to test their options, and the hosts held on after a late flurry of goals.
Al-Sadd took the lead through A. Hatem in the seventy-seventh minute, a goal that briefly shifted momentum towards the visitors. To be fair, the Saudi side had looked comfortable for much of the second half, controlling territory and pressing with purpose. But Leganés refused to fold when the scoreline threatened to slip away.
G. Aguilar Lopez equalised for the hosts just three minutes later, in the eightieth minute, and kept his side in it with a well-taken finish. The crowd roared them on as the game opened up, both teams chasing something tangible from what was otherwise a cautious encounter. And here's the thing — the match had been sitting at 1:1 for nearly ten minutes, with both sides searching for an opening that wouldn't come easily.
I. Gharbi then turned the match with a goal in the eighty-first minute, a strike that caught Al-Sadd on the back foot and gave Leganés the lead they needed. By then, the visitors had grown increasingly desperate, throwing everything at it in search of an equaliser that never materialised. The final whistle brought a sense of relief to the home bench.
The statistics told a story of dominance without conversion. Leganés registered 118 attacks compared to 70 for Al-Sadd, while possession sat at 61% for the hosts against 39% for the visitors. They earned five corners to two, though the goal count suggests chances went begging for one side or the other. Yellow cards came 1:3 in favour of the visitors, a minor detail in the wider picture.
For Leganés, this result followed a mixed run of friendlies — a 2:0 win over Penafiel and a 0:0 draw with Nacional among the better outings, though the 4:1 defeat to Real Madrid and the 1:0 loss to Swansea showed vulnerabilities. Al-Sadd's recent form included a 3:3 draw with Rochdale and a heavy 0:3 defeat to Al-Wakrah, results that suggested inconsistency rather than decline. The table position meant little at this stage of preparations, but the scoreline was all that mattered on the day.