Sadd will play Barcelona in the semifinals of the Club World Cup after the Asian champion stunned Esperance of Tunisia 2-1 Sunday, sparking fan violence and a pitch invasion. Newly-crowned Japanese champion Kashiwa Reysol will play Santos in the other semi as it beat Monterrey of Mexico on penalties in front of a crowd of 27,525, after the game ended 1-1 after 120 minutes. Kashiwa faces Brazil's Santos Wednesday. Al-Sadd's win means Asian teams have won all five meetings against African opposition at the tournament, but more importantly the Qataris will now test themselves against the sublime Catalans Thursday. The other major talking point will be how an irate Esperance fan managed to jump the barrier by the pitch and make for Al-Sadd goalkeeper Mohamed Saqr before being dragged to the ground just feet away from him. There were several other disturbances in the stands at the end of an entertaining game, as furious Esperance followers clashed with police and stewards. Esperance supporters and players were left seething at Chilean referee Enrique Osses after they had two “goals” ruled out for offside and had a strong claim for a penalty, all in the dying minutes. The Qataris took a shock lead in the 33rd minute. With Esperance sleeping, former Lyon forward Abdul Kader Keita unleashed a powerful shot that goalkeeper Moez Ben Cherifia could only flap at, allowing Khalfan Al-Khalfan to steam in and head into an empty net. Just four minutes after half-time Africa's finest found themselves further behind. Former Portsmouth man Nadir Belhadj swept in a free-kick that South Korean Lee Jung-Soo headed back across goal, and there, totally unmarked, was his fellow defender and captain Abdullah Koni to gleefully score from close range. But on the hour Esperance struck back when the highly-rated Ousama Darragi headed past an unsighted Saqr from another set-piece. With minutes left on the clock Oualid Hichri shot tamely at Saqr when he should have scored. Also in Toyota, in the second game of the day, Kashiwa, fresh from its first J-League title, took an undeserved lead when Brazilian Leandro Domingues volleyed in spectacularly from close range on 53 minutes. But the CONCACAF champion was level five minutes later as Chilean striker Humberto Suazo thumped the ball in when unmarked in the six-yard box, to the delight of about 100 Monterrey fans decked out in green behind the goal. Substitute Ryohei Hayashi was the hero for the home side, as he confidently tucked away the winning penalty.
