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Doha, Qatar: Defending champions Al Sadd overtook long-time leaders Al Duhail to claim first place in the Ooredoo Stars League (OSL) standings, rallying to defeat Al Rayyan 2-1 at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium yesterday.
Al Duhail’s title hopes were dealt a major blow when Al Shamal handed them a crushing 4-0 defeat in the other match.
With just two matches remaining in the Qatari top flight, Al Sadd moved two points clear of Al Duhail, taking their tally to 46 points.
Al Sadd will face Al Khor and Al Ahli, while Al Duhail will meet Al Arabi and Al Khor in their final two fixtures.
Coming into action just minutes after Al Shamal’s shock victory over Al Duhail, Al Sadd knew a win would lift them to the top of the standings. They started brightly with Youcef Atal making early inroads.
However, the first half ended with both teams deadlocked, and it was Al Rayyan who took the lead in the 56th minute. Adam Bareiro put Al Rayyan ahead, chipping over goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham from close range after Barsham failed to hold on to Roger Guedes’ initial attempt.
Al Shamal players celebrate a goal against Al Duhail.
Al Sadd responded with two quick goals in the 67th and 69th minutes. Rafa Mujica equalised with a header from a Paulo Otavio cross, which had been brilliantly set up by Akram Afif with a backheel.
Just three minutes after replacing Hassan Al Haydos, Giovani Henrique scored the stunning winner, diving to meet a lightning-fast cross from Pedro Miguel.
Al Rayyan, who remained on 28 points and slipped to sixth place, saw their hopes of a top-four finish vanish with the defeat.
Earlier at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium, Mohamed Rafik Omar stole the show with a brilliant brace, leading Al Shamal to a dominant 4-0 win over Al Duhail in a free-flowing encounter.
The Algerian forward put Al Shamal ahead early, scoring in the second minute with a clinical volley from a Younes Belhanda assist on the right.
While Al Duhail enjoyed superior possession and created over two dozen chances – six of which were on target – they struggled with accuracy in the crucial fixture.
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Al Shamal were much sharper and stunned their opponents by doubling their lead just six minutes later.
Following a set-piece, Omid Amir Ebrahimi lobbed the ball to Mohammad Naceur Al Mannai, who made no mistake, heading it in from a tight angle past goalkeeper Salah Zakaria. Al Duhail came close to pulling one back when Michael Olunga’s header narrowly missed after a precise cross from Edmilson Junior.
But Al Shamal remained aggressive, with Belhanda striking the left post from outside the box.
Just before the break, they extended their lead in the sixth minute of stoppage time when Younes El Hannach’s low drive from outside the box took a deflection off Homam Al Amin, wrong-footing Zakaria and finding the back of the net.
Omar sealed the win shortly after the break, collecting a pass outside the box and slotting it home from the center for his second goal as Al Duhail continued to squander chances, ultimately suffering a heavy loss.
Al Shamal coach David Prats praised his side after they moved up to fifth place with 29 points, six behind Al Ahli.
“The players performed exceptionally well, and I want to congratulate this wonderful team,” he said after the match.
“They followed the game plan to perfection. Al Shamal have shown they deserve a strong finish to the season after defeating the league’s strongest team.
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Elsewhere, Ricardo Gomes’ decisive strike propelled Al Khor to a crucial 1-0 victory over Qatar SC at the Suhaim Bin Hamad Stadium.
The win revived Al Khor’s play-off hopes as they moved to 13 points, just two behind 11th-placed Umm Salal. Qatar SC remained in 10th place with 22 points.
OSL RESULTS
Al Duhail 0-4 Al Shamal
Qatar SC 0-1 Al Khor
Al Rayyan 1-2 Al Sadd
On Friday
Al Arabi 1-3 Al Gharafa
Al Shahania 2-3 Al Ahli
Umm Salal 0-1 Al Wakrah
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