The Peninsula
Al Duhail’s shock 2-0 defeat to Al Gharafa on Friday has added spice to QNB Stars League (QSL) title race as Al Arabi took a slim one-point lead over the Red Knights at top of the standings.
Hernan Crespo’s Al Duhail despite slipping to second spot after losing their Week 19 clash are still favourite to clinch the Falcon Shield as they have one more match in hand – a postponed game from Week 15 against Al Rayyan to be played tomorrow.
Al Arabi, who jumped to the top with 43 points after a thrilling 4-3 victory over Al Ahli following a second-half brace from Youssef Msakni on Thursday, need to win all their remaining matches to stay in contention for the title.
“These three matches are decisive and we must put our best and focus on things which are under our control,” Al Arabi coach Younes Ali said after win over Al Ahli.
“We missed chances [against Al Ahli] and we need to bring improvement to achieve our goals,” he added.
Crespo, whose side won the Ooredoo Cup and the Qatar Cup titles, is eyeing a strong comeback from his team after defeat to complete a treble this season. Their dream of a quadruple ended after an upset defeat to Al Sailiya on penalties in the Amir Cup quarter-final last week.
“These four remaining matches in the QSL are like four finals for us and we must give our top performance in these games,” Crespo had said.
Defending champions Al Sadd, placed third in the standings, also kept their hopes alive of a third straight QSL title after beating Qatar SC 2-0. After earning three points on Saturday, Al Sadd cut Al Arabi’s lead to five points with nine points still available for the Wolves.
“It was a tough game against Qatar SC and these three points will be crucial as the league heads towards a close,” Al Sadd goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham said after win over Qatar SC.
Exciting battle between Al Gharafa and Al Wakrah for fourth spot is also on as both the teams clinched full points in their previous matches.
The Cheetahs replaced the Blue Waves on fourth spot with 32 points after blanking Al Duhail.
Al Wakrah too also showed outstanding performance in their 5-1 victory over Al Shamal to take their tally to 30 points.
Meanwhile, Al Wakrah’s Gelson Dala appeared as top contender to win the Mansour Muftah Award handed to top scorer of the QSL every season.
The Angola star has scored 15 goals so far and is followed by last season’s winner Michael Olunga of Al Duhail and Al Arabi’s Omar Al Somah, who have scored 14 goals apiece. Al Arabi star Youssef Msakni is also in contention for the award having scored 13 goals.