Opening week saw the reigning champions’ hopes of starting on a high dented, but arch-rival Duhail’s draw comes as a relative relief.
Al Sadd’s title defence on Saturday began in the same fashion as their triumphant one last season: with a shocking loss.
In the clash of former Qatar national team tacticians, it was Bartolome Marquez Lopez who came out on top as Qatar SC defeated Felix Sanchez’s Al Sadd in a five-goal thriller at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium.
Despite enjoying the lion’s share of possession, the reigning champions fell 3-2 against a relatively more clinical side that capitalised on the chances that came at a premium. A valiant effort towards the end was not enough.
Ali Saoudi’s 36th-minute header set the tone as the visitors went into halftime with the lead, cut short just two minutes after the hour mark by Guilherme, set to make his official debut for the national team soon.
But by the time Claudinho was on target with just six minutes of regular time remaining, Qatar SC had inflicted the damage already.
Less than a minute after new signings Pau Prim and Roberto Firmino came off the bench for their official debuts, Said Brahmi’s header toppled the tie against Al Sadd in the 79th minute. Brazilian forward Joao Pedro’s long-range goal served as the final nail.
It was a similar story last season for Al Sadd as Baghdad Bounedjah led the charge with a brace against his former side in Al Shamal’s 2-1 win, in what was Sanchez’s first game on the touchline too.
The Wolves were eventually able to catch up and win the title, which is highly likely to be the case due to their squad quality and the consistency that Sanchez tends to instil. But an opening day loss was certainly not on their ideal cards and could prove costly.
Duhail drop points against Al Shahania
To Al Sadd’s relief, however, Al Shahania managed a courageous 1-1 draw against Al Duhail, the other strong contenders for the current season at the Khalifa International Stadium.
Pelle van Amersfoort picked up from where he left off last season, and Al Shahania struck the first in the 24th minute. The Dutch forward was integral in keeping his side afloat in the top division with 15 goals and will likely have to play a similar role this season too.
But it was apparent in the opener that he will be offered better support. Under new manager Santi Denia, Al Shahania’s rearguard held better.
Andreas van Beek pulled off a Player of the Match-worthy performance at the back, and Al Duhail’s lack of clinical finishing helped as well.
Karim Boudiaf’s equaliser came in the form of a pouncing header in the 52nd minute, but a winner proved out of reach for last season’s runners-up, despite new signing Marco Verratti orchestrating the midfield.
Al Gharafa pull off second-half comeback in goalfest
Things were going south until a little more than thirty minutes from time for Al Gharafa, down 2-0 against Umm Salal, the side that managed to stay in the division through an extra-time goal in the relegation play-off.
Antonio Mance’s first-half strike, followed by Oussama Tannane’s goal just one minute into the second half, had put the underdogs in the driving seat, but Spanish forward Joselu’s penalty sparked the impending comeback.
The reigning Amir Cup champions then pounced on the window of opportunity that opened with Qatari forward Ahmed Al-Ganehi struck in the 74th minute.
Made to deal with relentless pressure thereafter, Umm Salal crumbled. The moment of the night came at the courtesy of the eventual Player of the Match, Aron Gunarsson, with a finish from outside of his boot. Seydou Sane’s tap-in at the far post in injury time sealed the comeback.
Al Shamal and Al Rayyan off to perfect start
A 3-1 win against promotion winners Al Sailiya saw Al Rayyan start their quest to bury the ghosts of last season on a high, while Al Shamal beat last season’s expectation-exceeding Al Ahli 2-0 in the opening gameweek of the Doha Bank Stars League.
Artur Jorge’s Al Rayyan had to plot a comeback as Hadi Ali Tabasideh struck in the 20th minute, later nullified by Belgian midfielder Julien De Sart’s stunning effort in the second half at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.
Roger Guedes then converted from the penalty spot and then went on to capitalise on a poorly dealt long ball to complete the comeback, the latter of those coming in the dying minutes of regular time.
In hindsight, it was a rather comfortable win for a side looking to rise from the ruins, bolstered by a lively transfer window.
In the other tie, youngsters led the charge as goals in each half helped Al Shamal get off to a perfect start.
Qatari midfielder Mohammad Al-Mannai opened the scoring in the 40th minute, and 21-year-old Omar Mohamed applied the finishing touches just two minutes ahead of the final whistle.
The club’s premier midfield signing, ex-Barcelona midfielder Alex Collado, and defensive signing Akram Tawfik made their official debuts on a high note.
New signings found the target in the opener for Al Arabi, yet failing to hold on to the lead twice saw them drop points against Al Wakrah at the Al Thumama Stadium on Friday.
Michael Olunga was quick to adapt to life in his new club, scoring in the 15th minute, yet El Amine Zouhzouh cut the celebrations short just three minutes later.
The Moroccan made himself available for Fahad Waad’s low cross after Gelson Dala cleverly dummied to cause havoc inside the box.
Pablo Sarabia then restored the lead for Al Arabi from the penalty spot on his debut after Hamdy Fathy fouled Olunga inside the box in the 36th minute, yet Redouane Berkane’s header in the 68th minute, off the bench, made for the stalemate.
Challenges will continue for both sides in matchday two as Al Arabi go up against Al Gharafa, whereas Al Wakrah will face the recently AFC Champions League Elite-qualified Al Duhail.
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