Al Sadd, Al Arabi, and Al Shahania were the only ones with wins in a week packed with draws in the Ooredoo Stars League.
On a night Al Sadd emerged victorious 3-0 at the Al Janoub Stadium, Akram Afif replicated Kylian Mbappe’s celebration from Saturday’s El Clasico.
Afif showcased his skill by finishing a counter-attack he initiated, deftly chipping the ball past Al Wakrah’s keeper to double the lead 2-0.
Except, unlike Mbappe’s offside goal, Afif’s goal counted and helped the defending champions climb up to the second position in the Ooredoo Stars League.
Rafa Mujica’s first goal from outside the penalty box in the 24th minute separated the two sides at the break and Afif’s strike ensured a cushioning lead at the stroke of an hour in the second half.
Mujica then doubled his tally in the 86th minute with a volley as Al Sadd finally looked like a side capable of salvaging comfortable victories.
The Spanish striker has now scored eight goals in the league and is a goal behind top scorer Baghdad Bounedjah of Al Shamal.
The win should come as a relief for a side that had a turbulent start to the season with three losses. Felix Sanchez’s side now have three consecutive wins in the league and have cut the deficit with Al Duhail down to four points.
Al Shahania pull off an upset against Al Shamal
Al Shamal have been on the winning end of the most momentous upsets this season, but they found themselves on the other side on Saturday as they suffered a 2-0 loss against the newly promoted Al Shahania side.
Pelle van Amersfoot’s penalty goal in the 22nd minute and Abdulrahman Ali Saleh’s strike in the second half with just seven minutes of regular time to play handed Al Shahania their second win of the ongoing campaign.
Coming to the game, Al Shamal had beaten Al Arabi 5-2 last week and had also pulled off an upset against Al Sadd on the opening day of the season. Against Shahania, however, they looked inferior and talisman Bounedjah was not able to replicate what he has been doing seamlessly so far.
With the win, Shahania are now one point clear of Qatar SC, who sit in the relegation play-off spot, above bottom-placed Al Khor.
Al Arabi’s frontline shines against Qatar SC
Over at the Al Thumama Stadium, Tunisian forward Youssef Msakni scored a brace on Sunday as Al Arabi beat Qatar SC 4-1, with Rodri Sanchez and Yazan Al-Naimat scoring the other two.
Msakni put the hosts forward in the 15th minute with a darting run in the box as Rodri doubled the lead six minutes after the half-hour mark.
Al-Naimat then tripled the score with two minutes of regular time left before the break, taking his tally to two goals from two games after returning from injury.
It was Msakni who got into the scoresheet again in the 68th minute to restore the three-goal lead, five minutes after Jassem Gaber conceded an own goal with a deflection on Ataa Mohammad’s shot to make it 3-1.
That was Al Arabi’s only second win of the season, having had drawn four and lost on two occasions, despite making significant moves in the summer transfer window.
Al Duhail, Al Rayyan, and Umm Salal drop points
The eighth match-day of the season witnessed three stalemates, perhaps the most significant one being table toppers Al Duhail’s 1-1 draw against Al Gharafa at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium on Sunday.
Michael Olunga put the hosts in the lead after a scoreless first half, converting captain Almoez Ali’s cutback in the 55th minute to score his seventh goal of the season.
Qatari striker Mohammed Muntari then headed Rabh Boussafi’s cross on target with just three minutes of regular time left on the clock to salvage a draw for the Al Gharafa side.
Al Duhail have only lost points on two occasions so far this season, the previous one being a surprise 2-1 loss against newcomers Al Shahania.
Elsewhere in the Ooredoo Stars League, Al Rayyan and Al Shahania played a 2-2 draw at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium as Roger Guedes’ brace cancelled first-half goals from Sekou Yansane and Erik Exposito.
Al Ahli scored early through Yansane in the third minute and then conceded Guedes’ first strike 25 minutes later.
Expositio, however, restored the lead in the 37th minute, but continuous pressure from Al Rayyan paid off in the second half as Guedes scored five minutes after the hour mark.
Al Ahli dropped to third position in the table, whereas Al Rayyan sit eighth after playing their first draw of the season.
A goalless stalemate at the Grand Hamad Stadium on Saturday saw Umm Salal and Al Khor share points, with the latter still seeking their first win after getting back to the top tier.
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