The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar - Algerian star Baghdad Bounedjah scored his 35th goal of the QNB Stars League (QSL) season (18th minute) and Akram Afif (84th) added one more to his tally (23) as Al Sadd cemented their position on top of the standings by beating Al Sailiya 2-0 yesterday.
After their round-19 win at the Al Ahli Stadium, Al Sadd moved to 50 points.
It was Al Sadd’s 16th victory, the most by any team, as The Wolves, coached by Portuguese Jesualdo Ferreira, inched further towards retaining the coveted Qatar league shield for the 14th time in history, also the most by any side.
Al Sadd had dropped two crucial points after being held to a 1-1 draw by Al Sailiya in the first leg. This time around, The Peregrines had to play second fiddle to their formidable rivals.
Al Sailiya had the ignominy of having their goalkeeper Saoud Al Khater sent off following his foul on Akram in the 64th minute. The Peregrines were also unlucky when Abdulkadir Ilyas missed a penalty, blocked by Al Sadd goalkeeper Saad Al Dossari, awarded after a free-kick hit the hand of defender Boualem Khoukhi.
Ilyas was on target towards the end, but the lanky striker’s effort was ruled offside by referee Saoud Ali Al Athba.
Al Sadd, for whom Spanish midfield maestro took the field after one hour following his return from an injury layoff, dominated the game with 60 per cent of possession and four corner kicks, compared to three by Al Sailiya.
Tournament top scorer Bounedjah took Al Sadd ahead by heading a cross from the left by Abdulkarim Hassan, who was adjudged the best player in Asia.
Afif found the mark after latching on to a long through pass as Al Sadd coasted to yet another victory.
Later, in the final fixture of the round, Al Duhail bounced back from a goal down to defeat Umm Salal 3-1.
Last two season’s league top scorer and Moroccan striker Yousef El Arabi (64th and 90+1 minutes) and substitute Mohammed Muntari (90+4) scored the goals for Al Duhail as the reigning champions kept pace with leaders Al Sadd, who beat Al Sailiya 2-0 in the day’s early kick-off, in the title race.
It was the 14th victory of The Red Knights, who dominated with 65 per cent ball possession and earned eight corner kicks compared to Umm Salal’s three.
Lawrence Quaye had put Umm Salal ahead in the 54th minute following a goalless first half, where both teams’ efforts did not fetch any goal.
Al Duhail now have 46 points, four less than Al Sadd, ahead of the heavyweight clash between them in the next round.