Al Sadd's Akram Afif celebrates after scoring a goal.
Doha, Qatar: Qatar playmaker Akram Afif fired a super hat-trick as sensational Al Sadd crushed Al Markhiya 5-0 after a first-half onslaught to stay on top of the Expo Stars League (ESL) yesterday.
Kenyan star Michael Olunga handed defending champions Al Duhail a 3-2 comeback victory over Al Rayyan with a late brace in a much-hyped game, while Andy Delort starred for Umm Salal with a hat-trick as the Orange Fortress fought back to prevail over Muaither 3-1 on exciting day of eighth round.
The Wolves looked in best form at their home pitch of Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium with Afif looking in superb touch.
Al Duhail's Michael Olunga (right) celebrates with a teammate.
It was Baghdad Boundedjah who took Al Sadd ahead, heading in a Paulo Otavio cross in 12th minute before Afif opened the floodgates.
The Al Annabi star, who saw his third minute goal ruled out by VAR for offside, scored his first goal in 16th minute with a Gonzalo Plata assist and four minutes later he struck a stunning hit from outside the box for his second goal.
The 26-year-old completed his hat-trick from the centre of the box three minutes before half-time, taking the match away from Al Markhiya completely with his fourth goal just before the break.
“Akram is a great star; he shone and scored four goals and one [of his] goal was disallowed. He’s one of the team’s stars, and we hope he continues to shine,” Al Sadd goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham said while praising Afif for his outstanding performance.
“We achieved what was required, which is the win and three points, and we came out with a clean sheet. We also succeeded in maintaining our lead in the league,” he added.
Al Sadd, who have one game in hand, stayed clear on top of the standings with 19 points while Al Duhail moved up to third place with 16 points as they are behind Al Gharafa on goal difference.
At Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium last night, Al Rayyan were cruising following strikes from Roger Guedes in 15th and 41st minute but Al Duhail came back strongly in the second half to earn coveted points.
Captain Almoez Ali led the Red Knights’ fightback after converting a penalty in 59th minute before Olunga leveled the score in 80th minute.
The Kenyan striker took full advantage of a defender’s mistake to slot the ball past Al Rayyan goalkeeper Fahad Younis for a winning goal two minutes before time.
After losing back-to-back games, Al Rayyan who lost to Al Gharafa last week, slipped to fourth on the points table with 15 points.
Meanwhile, Muaither got the lead against Umm Salal with a Ramon Arias goal in 30th minute at Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium before a turnaround by Umm Salal in the second half.
Delort struck goals in 57th minute, 75th-minute penalty and 80th minute to ensure Umm Salal their third victory of the ESL season that took them one place up to sixth position with 11 points.
