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Upbeat Al Markhiya eye 2nd straight win

Upbeat Al Markhiya eye 2nd straight win

The Peninsula

Promoted Al Markhiya ended defending champions Al Sadd’s 49-match unbeaten streak at the QNB Stars League (QSL) with a stunning 4-3 win in their opening match of the season last week, and coach Abdullah Mubarak wants his side to continue the winning run. 

Al Markhiya face Qatar SC in their second match of the league tomorrow at the Education City Stadium, eyeing their second successive victory. 

While Al Markhiya got off to a winning start, Yousef Safri-coached Qatar SC suffered a 2-0 defeat to Al Arabi in their first match of the season after being reduced to 10-man following a red card to Sebastian Soria in the 59th minute. 

Mubarak said win over Al Sadd boosted his team’s confidence, adding his team is now focusing on match against Qatar SC. 

“The victory over Al Sadd is a good thing for the team, as it gives the players a great morale boost, self-confidence and balance at the start of the league,” Al Markhiya coach told reporters. 

“We have put behind that chapter and began to focus on the match against Qatar SC, which will be played on Tuesday. It will be a difficult match in view of the loss suffered by them in the last round against Al Arabi by two goals to nil,” he added. 

Mubarak said Qatar SC will be tough as they produced a good show against Al Arabi. 

“Qatar SC’s loss against Al Arabi will not make us complacent because the team presented a good level and was steadfast against Al Arabi until the 70th minute, when they conceded their first goal,” he said before adding that his team is ready for the match tomorrow. 

Meanwhile, Al Markhiya player Saleh Al Yahri was expecting a strong challenge against Qatar SC. 

“Any team that loses in the first round will enter the second round strongly in order to compensate for it. Therefore, our preparations for the Qatar SC match are good and we as players implement the directions of the technical staff well to provide the best level and achieve a positive result,” he said.