Al Sadd players celebrate after winning Qatar Clasico.
Doha, Qatar: Qatar heavyweights Al Sadd have put themselves in a strong position as they bid to regain the Expo Stars League (ESL) crown with the top flight reaching the halfway stage for most of the sides.
An emphatic 4-0 victory in the Qatar Clasico against Al Rayyan put the Wolves on top of the standings with 25 points – a one-point cushion over second-placed Al Gharafa, who have played 11 games.
Unbeaten so far, Al Sadd hold an advantage having played two games less due to their AFC Champions League campaign which came to a halt in the group stage for the third successive season.
“One of our main targets this season now is to win the league,” said Al Sadd striker Baghdad Bounedjah, who smashed a hat-trick against Al Rayyan on Friday night.
“We are aware there are many difficult matches to come but we must continue winning to maintain our top position. We will be ready for the challenges and will take one game at a time with the aim of securing wins,” he added.
Al Gharafa could have retained their first spot but a second consecutive home draw against Al Shamal after they shared points with Al Wakrah in the previous round cost them dearly.
The Cheetahs will now need successive wins to keep pursuit of the summit.
Al Wakrah – 21 points from 10 games – and Al Rayyan, who have 19 points from 11 matches are the other main challengers for Al Sadd in the title race besides defending champions Al Duhail, who have 17 points from nine games.
The Red Knights, who returned to the league after winning their final AFC Champions League group match against Persepolis last Tuesday, also lost points with Qatar SC earning a draw with an 80-minute equaliser on Friday. Al Duhail had shock absences with Sultan Al Brake and Ibrahim Kader missing the game.
Hoping to bounce back, Al Duhail coach Christophe Galtier said the draw was a fair result in difficult circumstances for the side.
“The players were fatigued after a tough match in Tehran. The absences and a red card to Kim Moon-hwan (in 72nd minute) also hurt us,” he said.
In a crucial clash, Al Duhail will now take on Al Sadd in a postponed ESL match on Wednesday.
