Al Sadd players celebrate during the match against Al Rayyan.
Doha: With defending champions Al Sadd taking the lead in the Ooredoo Stars League (OSL) at a crucial stage, captain Hassan Al Haydos has stressed that there is still “a lot of work ahead” in the title race.
Al Sadd fought back to defeat Al Rayyan 2-1 in the Qatar Clasico on Saturday, moving into a two-point lead with 46 points, with only two matches left.
Long-time leaders Al Duhail, who were hammered 4-0 by Al Shamal, slipped to second place.
Next, Al Sadd will face bottom-side Al Khor before a challenging final match against fourth-placed Al Ahli, who have 35 points. Meanwhile, Al Duhail will meet Al Arabi and Al Khor in their final two fixtures.
“We’ve made a vital step, but there’s still much more to do,” Al Haydos said reflecting on their win over Al Rayyan.
“Three points against Al Rayyan were crucial, but we don’t consider it as achieving something major just yet,” the Qatar legend, who retired from international football last year, added.
Al Rayyan took the lead through Adam Bareiro in the second half, but Rafa Mujica equalised and Giovani sealed the win for Al Sadd.
“Al Rayyan are a strong side, and we can never underestimate them. It wasn’t an easy match, but we showed great spirit and determination to come back.
This win is important but we know there’s a long way to go,” said Al Haydos, who also urged fans to turn out in larger numbers for the team’s remaining games.
“We need our fans to be there in bigger numbers. Their support boosts our morale and we know the Al Sadd fans are always behind us during tough times. We hope their support grows in the coming rounds,” Al Haydos added.
After 20 rounds, the title race is between Al Sadd and Al Duhail.
Third-placed Al Gharafa, on 40 points, is almost out of contention, needing big wins in their matches against Al Wakrah and Al Shahania, with results also going in their favour.
The Cheetahs, however have secured their berth in the upcoming Qatar Cup where top four OSL sides will compete for the title. Al Ahli, with 35 points, are favourites to secure the fourth spot, with Al Shamal (29 points) as their only challengers.
Al Rayyan (27 points) have now been eliminated from the top-four race, and their coach Arthur Jorge acknowledged the defeat to Al Sadd was tough.
“We did well, and it’s hard to accept the result. We didn’t deserve it, but that’s football,” he said. “We’ll give our best in the last two matches [against Al Shamal and Qatar SC].”
Meanwhile, the relegation battle is heating up.
Al Khor’s 1-0 win over Qatar SC on Saturday saw them close to within two points of Umm Salal.
The bottom side will be relegated to the Second Division, while the 11th-placed team will face a play-off to retain their spot in the top flight.
Qatar SC (22 points) are safe for next season.
