Al Gharafa's Yacine Brahimi (right) in action during match against Al Duhail.
Doha: Al Gharafa excelled in second half to beat title contenders Al Duhail 2-0 in a crucial QNB Stars League (QSL) clash at Thani Bin Jassim Stadium yesterday.
In other game last night, Al Rayyan and Al Sailiya played out an exciting 2-2 draw with all goals scored in the first half.
The defeat for Al Duhail means the Red Knights will have to stay second with 42 points from 18 matches, one point behind leaders Al Arabi. However, the Hernan Crespo’s side has played a game less than the Dream Team.
Al Duhail enjoyed a superior ball possession throughout the match and they took four shots on target in the first half.
But Al Gharafa were impressive after the break with Ishak Belfodil giving them a lead in 62nd minute. Moayad Hassan sealed the victory with a goal in sixth minute of stoppage time.
The win saw Al Gharafa move back to fourth spot in the standings with 32 points, replacing Al Wakrah (30 points).
At Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium, Al Sailiya struck back after conceding goals from Yohan Boli (5th minute) and Abdulaziz Hatem (25th minute). Mohamed Diame launched Al Sailiya’s fighback with a goal in 45+1 minutes while Carlos Strandberg leveled the scores by converting a penalty five minutes later.
Al Sailiya stayed on bottom with 10 points while Al Rayyan moved to 17 points.
Al Sadd eye wins in remaining games
Meanwhile, coach Juan Manuel Lillo has urged Al Sadd to clinch winning points in all the remaining matches of the season as his side meets Qatar SC at Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium tonight.
Defending champions Al Sadd are currently third in the QSL standings with 35 points.
“Regarding our chances of winning the league, it is difficult, but we have to try to win all the matches, and then we will see where our position will be in the league standings at the end of the season,” Lillo told a pre-match press conference.
“We must continue to play our way and adhere to the team’s strategy, while also prioritising the recovery of players and preventing injuries during the remaining phase of the season, which will witness matches in the league championship and Amir Cup,” said Juanma.
Qatar SC are placed sixth in the standings with 26 points and have a postponed match against Al Rayyan remaining.
Qatar SC coach Youssef Safri said his team is ready to face Al Sadd hoping for a strong performance from his side.
“We have a very important match ahead of us against a strong and experienced team like Al Sadd. As for us, we have prepared very well and we are ready to present a distinguished performance with the same determination and persistence, especially as we have a great desire to achieve a positive result despite the difficulty of the game,” he said.
In other match tonight, Al Markhiya and Umm Salal will square off at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium.
Yesterday’s Results
Al Sailiya draw Al Rayyan 2-2
Al Gharafa bt Al Duhail 2-0
On Thursday
Al Arabi bt Al Ahli 4-3
Al Wakrah vs Al Shamal 5-1
Today
9:45pm: Al Markhiya vs Umm Salal at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium
9:45pm: Qatar SC vs Al Sadd at Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium
