Al Duhail players celebrate after scoring a goal against Al Sadd during their QNB Stars League match played at Al Sadd Stadium yesterday.
Al Duhail emerged winner by a margin of 4-2 in the battle for supremacy against hosts Al Sadd to stay unbeaten in the QNB Stars League yesterday.
The Red Knights have collected 25 points to stay on top of the points table while the Wolves are placed second with 21 points.
The much-awaited encounter between the two Qatari heavyweights had all ingredients of a thriller.
Moez Ali (sixth minute), Youssef El Arabi (20th), Bassam Al Rawi (72nd) and Nam Tae-Hee (89th) scored for the winners while Baghdad Bounedjah (12th) and substitute Hassan Ahmed (80th) struck for Al Sadd.
Yesterday’s goal by El Arabi also assured his position at the top of the table as the highest goal-scorer of the QNB Stars League this season with 15 goals.
Elsewhere, hosts Al Khor yesterday relied on a late strike by defender Soroush Hossein to edge past a resolute Al Sailiyah 1-0 in a thrilling round-nine encounter.
Playing on home soil, Hossein struck the only goal of the match in the 84th minute after both teams had walked off the Al Khor Stadium pitch with no goals at half-time.
It was Al Khor’s third win of the season and their second in a row. For visitors Al Sailiyah, it was their first loss in the last four matches.
Al Sailiyah, sporting all-white, managed a couple of corners in the first 10 minutes but hosts Al Khor, despite repeated attacks, held firm to the keep the visitors in check.
In the 15th minute, Al Khor nearly scored off a freak opportunity by striker Madson who failed to connect from close range. Hamad Mansour attempted a long-range shot from close to Al Sailiyah box but his powerful shot sailed slipped past Madson’s desperate lunge but the stocky forward could not connect.
The next minute, Al Sailiyah’s Romanian midfielder Valentin Lazar produced a solo run towards the Al Khor goal but his flick from inside the box was smartly punched by goalkeeper Lacoumet Amin.
In the first 20 minutes, Al Sailiyah impressed with 62 percent of ball possession as the hosts remained under constant threat from the visitors.
In the 34th minute, unmarked Uzbek forward Temurkhuja Abdukholikov missed easiest of headers from just a few feet away from the Al Khor goalline following a cross by Salem Al Ali.
Abdukholikov amateurishly misjudged the flight of the ball and went underneath the shot for the deflection that did not take place.
Eleven minutes into the second half, Helal Al Saeed of Al Khor charged into the Al Sailiyah box but his shot from close range was blocked by goalkeeper Abdarrahman Aziz.
In the 78th minute, the linesman disallowed by a goal by Al Khor’s Reza Najafi who had failed to connect an indirect free-kick from outside the Al Sailiyah box.
Six minutes before the final whistle, Hossein - after a short cross - fired one in as hosts Al Khor celebrated the late strike in style.
