Al Sadd's Baghdad Bounedjah (right) celebrates after scoring a goal, yesterday.
Doha, Qatar: Striker Baghdad Bounedjah smashed a second half hat-trick to steer Al Sadd to a crushing 4-0 victory over 10-man Al Rayyan in Qatar Clasico at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium yesterday.
With Al Gharafa being held 1-1 by Al Shamal, Al Sadd climbed to the top of Expo Stars League (ESL) after taking their tally to 25 points, pushing the Cheetahs to second place with a one point lead.
Al Duhail also dropped points as Qatar SC rallied to earn a 1-1 draw against the defending champions earlier yesterday.
Al Rayyan suffered an early shock when Rodrigo Moreno was sent off in the eighth minute for a dangerous tackle against Pedro Miguel. The impact of the red card was not immediate as Al Sadd opened the floodgates after half-time following a goalless first half.
Bounedjah scored his first goal shortly after the break connecting in captain Hassan Al Haydos’ assist from outside the six-yard box to put Al Sadd ahead.
Gonzalo Plata doubled the advantage in 52nd minute scooping the ball over the defence line in the left corner from a free kick from just outside the box. Algerian star Bounedjah then completed his hat-trick scoring goals in 75th and 83rd minute.
While Al Sadd, who have two postponed matches remaining put themselves in a strong position, Al Rayyan stayed fourth with 19 points.
“We are back on top again and it will give us huge motivation,” Al Sadd coach Wesam Rizik said after the win.
“It was tough in the start but we controlled the match well in the second half. The players deserve praise for their fine performance that gave us important win in the Clasico,” he added.
At Thani Bin Jassim Stadium, hosts Al Gharafa looked settled to earn three points against Al Shamal after Yohan Boli struck in the 43rd minute.
But Al Shamal’s spirited performance paid dividend late in the match as they won a penalty for Dame Traore’s hand ball, with Ricardo Gomes pulling one point by scoring from the spot in fourth minute of stoppage time.
Meanwhile, champions Al Duhail took the lead through Suhaib Gannan’s goal in the 19th minute while Essa Ahmed equalised for Qatar SC with 10 minutes remaining at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium.
The Red Knights, who also have two matches remaining, stand fifth in the standings with 17 points, while Qatar moved to 12 points, two points ahead of Al Shamal.
