Al Sadd's Akram Afif (left) controls the ball
Doha, Qatar: Akram Afif fired a brace as Al Sadd beat Al Sailiya 3-1 to move closer to a 19th Qatar Stars League (QSL) title as Al Shahania stunned Al Shamal 2-0 in the penultimate round yesterday, with all matches played simultaneously
The commanding win lifted Al Sadd to 42 points – five clear of Al Shamal, who now play their postponed match against Qatar SC on Monday. The title rivals will then meet in the final round on April 28 in what could prove decisive.
Coach Roberto Mancini had urged defending champions Al Sadd not to drop points, and his side responded in control from the outset at Al Bayt Stadium.
Afif put Al Sadd ahead in the 10th minute, clinically finishing a pass from Hashim Ali. The Qatari star, who also struck the bar in the first half, doubled the lead in the 48th minute after latching onto a through ball from Roberto Firmino.
Firmino added the third in the 70th minute, finishing off an assist from Paulo Otavio to seal the result, with Anwar El Ghazi pulling one back for Al Sailiya in the 80th minute.
The defeat left Al Sailiya bottom on 19 points, while Al Shahania moved up to 11th, one point ahead and level with Umm Salal, in the fight to avoid relegation.
Al Rayyan’s Roger Guedes (right) celebrates with teammates.
Al Sailiya will play their postponed match against Al Arabi on Monday.
Al Shahania produced an impressive display against in-form Al Shamal, scoring in each half at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
Francesco Antonucci opened the scoring in the 14th minute after being set up by Lofti Majder. The Belgian midfielder was denied by the bar just before the break, before Pelle van Amersfoort sealed victory in the 76th minute following a strong run by Moaz Tawhed Elwadia.
Dominant Al Rayyan climb to third
At Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan secured an emphatic 3-0 win over relegation-threatened Umm Salal, with Roger Guedes netting a brace.
Rodrigo opened the scoring in the 28th minute, while Guedes struck in the 32nd and deep into stoppage time (90+6) to complete the victory. With 20 goals this season, the Brazilian is now five clear of closest rival Joao Pedro (15) in the race for the Mansour Muftah Award.
Al Rayyan climbed to third with 35 points, edging Al Gharafa on goal difference.
Al Gharafa, now out of the title race, played out a 3-3 draw with Al Wakrah at Stadium 974.
Amine Zouhzouh gave Al Wakrah the lead in the 25th minute before Alvaro Djalo (45+3), Ferjani Sassi (51) and Yacine Brahimi (71) turned the game in Al Gharafa’s favour.
Al Wakrah responded through Luis Alberto (77) and Almahdi Ali (90+4) to earn a point and move to 24 points.
Al Ahli boosted their chances of survival with a 2-1 win over Al Duhail at Khalifa International Stadium.
Michel Vlap struck in the 17th minute before Benjamin Bourigeaud equalised in the 57th minute, with Julian Draxler netting the winner in the 82nd minute.
The victory moved Al Ahli to 23 points, ending Al Duhail’s (30 points) chances of a top-four finish.
At Al Thumama Stadium, Al Arabi and Qatar SC shared the points in a 1-1 draw.
Al Arabi took the lead in the 32nd minute through Karl Toko Ekambi, while Pedro equalised in the 77th minute for Qatar SC. Both sides, with a game in hand, are level on 32 points with a top-four finish still within reach.
