Points leaders Al Duhail suffered a setback when they were held to a one-all draw by relegation threatened Umm Salal while a superb double by striker Akram Afif sealed a victory for defending champions Al Sadd as Round 18 of the QNB Stars League season continued yesterday.
At Al Janoub Stadium in yesterday’s first game, Al Duhail took the lead through their star striker Almoez Ali in the 49th minute. Almoez made no mistake in his penalty kick as the Qatari international scored his seventh goal of the season.
However, gutsy Umm Salal, placed 10th in the standings, equalised through Ayyoub Azzi in the 52nd minute. The draw, Al Duhail’s fourth this season, added just one point to their total which stands at 43 points (13 wins, four draws and one defeat).
The draw against one of the strongest teams in the League took Umm Salal’s total number of points to 15. They were ties at 14 points along with Al Khor, but now stand a point clear of the Knights.
They have so far won three matches and secured six draws and have suffered nine defeats. For the Moroccan Aziz Ben Askarcoached side, yesterday’s draw is a morale boosted as the League heads into the final stretch of the season.
Al Duhail, coached by Ben Askar’s countryman Walid Regragui, dominated possession, but Umm Salal put up a spirited fight throughout the clash. The closest Al Duhail came to scoring in the first half was in the 21st minute when Han Kwang-Song’s rising shot hit against the left upright after Umm Salal goalkeeper Baba Malick failed to get his hand on to the swerving ball. Han then sent his shot over and Yousef Msakni had his shot deflected wide by the rival team’s defence.
At the other end, Umm Salal’s Walid Mesloub failed to find the target with his free-kick from the left. Almoez took Al Duhail ahead not long after the resumption of play by converting a penalty, which was awarded when Abdulrahman Mohammed’s shot was handled by Umm Salal’s Omar Yahya. Umm Salal soon drew parity as Ayoub Azzi headed in Mesloub’s corner from the left, beating the challenge of Sultan Al Breik.
Almoez headed over and Umm Salal’s Mahmoud Al Mawas’ fierce shot was saved by goalkeeper Mohammed Al Bakri as both sides settled for a draw. Elsewhere, at Al Sadd Stadium, last year’s AFC Player of the Year Afif was the star of the day for the hosts who are currently placed in third in the standings. Afif struck in the 25th and 47th minutes as the reigning champions sealed their 11th win this season.
Al Khor’s only goal was scored by Tiago Bezerra in the 27th minute. Al Sadd, however, survived a late scare thanks to Saad Al Sheeb’s brillant skills as the Qatari goalkeeper made a brilliant save off a penalty by Bezerra. The win meant Al Sadd’s points tally moved to 35 while Al Khor’s 10th loss out of 18 matches moved them to 11th position in the standings.
