Al Sadd’s Xavi Hernandez (left) vies for ball possession with Umm Salal’s Adel Alawi Al Soleymani during their QNB Stars League match at Al Sadd Stadium yesterday. Al Sadd won 4-1.
QNB Stars League points leaders Al Duhail yesterday sailed to their seventh win of the season when they eased past Al Kharaitiyat with a 8-2 card while Al Sadd rallied from an early goal to trounce Umm Salal 4-1 here yesterday.
Coached by Djamel Belmadi, Al Duhail rarely looked in trouble as they hosted Al Kharaitiyat at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium.
A hat-trick by Youssef El Arabi (18, 31 and 87) was the highlight of Al Duhail’s powerful show.
Captain Youssef Msakni (8 and 85) also showed good form as did Korean star Nam Tae-hee (83 and 90). Moaaz Ali Abdalla (39) scored one for Al Duhail in the first half.
Al Kharaitiyat scored their first goal when Rachid
Tiberkanine found the net in the 48th minute. Tiberkanine scored another six minutes later.
Al Duhail wasted little time in settling down to score the first goal in the fast-paced match. In the 8th minute, Ismail Mohammed - on the left flank - spotted Msakni just meters from the goalmouth.
After receiving the cross from Mohammed, Maskni easily tapped the ball into the net with Al Kharaitiyat goalkeeper Ahmed Soofyan left rooted to the spot.
It was the Tunisian winger’s seventh goal of the season now just into its third month. Such was Al Duhail’s dominance in the round 8 clash, that they enjoyed 75 percent of the ball possession in the first 15 minutes at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium.
With rhythm and momentum on their side, it was a matter of time before El Arabi scored his first goal. Following a short pass, El Arabi swiftly tapped the ball into the net from close range to take Al Duhail to a 2-0 lead. It was the 30-year-old Moroccan striker’s 13th goal of the season.
In the 23rd minute, El Arabi found the net once again from close range but his effort was called off-side by the linesman much to the relief of the Al Kharaitiyat defenders reeling under pressure. Eight minutes later El Arabi scored his second goal of the match with a close-range flick.
Ali Abdalla added Al Duhail’s fourth goal, also from closer range, six minutes from the first half whistle.
Al Kharataiyat’s Moroccan import Tiberkanine produced a long solo run to score his team’s first goal in the 48th minute and then added one more - following a neat cross from Sanjar Tursunov - in the 56th minute to reduce the deficit.
Al Duhail scored four more goals in the last seven minutes to complete their majestic win.
Elsewhere, Al Sadd picked up three points following a fighting 4-1 win over Umm Salal. It was Al Sadd’s seventh win of the season.
Playing on home soil, Al Sadd conceded an early goal in the 9th minute.
However, goals by captain Xavi (39), striker Baghdad Bounedjah (52, penalty) and Murtaza Jan Pour (84) lifted Al Sadd spirits. Basel Zaidan, the Umm Salal goalkeeper, unfortunately got on the scoresheet following an own goal a minute before the final whistle.
The three goals cancelled the own goal by Al Sadd’s Hamroun Jugurtha in the first half.
Earlier feisty exchanges on a cool evening marked the first few minutes of the clash at Al Sadd Stadium.
In a shocking move, hosts Al Sadd ended up conceding a goal through a defensive error. Jugurtha, in an attempt to clear the ball with a header, ended up deflecting the ball into his own net after being chased by Umm Salal’s Omar Yahya in the 9th minute.
In the 39th minute, Xavi curled in a David Beckham-style free-kick that sailed into the Umm Salal net. It was Xavi’s third goal of the season.
Umm Salal nearly pulled off the equalizer in injury time when Yannick Latte smashed a powerful shot that rebounded off the Al Sadd crossbar.
In the 52nd minute, Algerian striker Bounedjah easily converted a penalty to give Al Sadd the 2-1 lead on home soil.
Six minutes from time, Xavi produced a long ball towards Jan Pour who headed home with a well-timed deflection from close range.
Jugurtha fired a bullet from edge of the Umm Salal box. The shot rebounded off the Umm Salal crossbar but the ball went into the net after getting nudged back by goalkeeper Zaidan.
