QNB Stars League - Week 10 highlights
The Qatar Clasico between Al Rayyan and Al Sadd highlighted the 2020-21 season QNB Stars League’s Week 10 action held on December 22 and 23. A total of 20 goals were scored. There were two high-scoring matches and only one game ended in a draw. All teams, with the exception of Al Rayyan and Al Wakrah, managed to score goals.
Al Sadd asserted their supremacy over Al Rayyan with a 1-0 victory in the high-profile Qatar Clasico, which tops the list of signature matches of QNB Stars League. Ace striker Baghdad Bounedjah scored the all-important goal as The Wolves increased their lead on top with the second-placed team from six to seven points. It was Al Sadd’s ninth victory, the most by any team, and they remained the only unbeaten side as well.
Al Rayyan stood sixth on the table with 13 points despite their third defeat while Al Gharafa are now second with 21 points.
Al Ahli slipped to third place as they stood on 19 points. Reigning champions Al Duhail, meanwhile, with 18 points – same as Qatar SC, are fourth due to their superior goal difference (+8) over The Kings.
Al Khor slipped one place to 11th with seven points after their fifth loss while Al Arabi moved 11th to the ninth position. Al Sailiya remained in seventh place with 12 points, while Umm Salal fell from ninth to 10th with nine points.
Al Kharaitiyat remained at the bottom with six points after suffering their eighth defeat.
Al Rayyan 0 vs Al Sadd 1
Date: Wednesday, December 23, 2020
Venue: Al Sadd Stadium
Al Sadd got the better of Al Rayyan 1-0 in the Qatar Clasico at the Al Sadd Stadium on Wednesday.
Baghdad Bounedjah’s strike in the 83rd minute helped Al Sadd maintain their unbeaten streak in the campaign. Al Sadd continued to top the table with 28 points after recording their ninth victory.
Al Rayyan, playing under French coach Laurent Blanc for the first time, stood on 13 points following their third defeat.
The two teams kicked off the proceedings at a fast pace in the flagship match of QNB Stars League. Al Sadd attackers kept Al Rayyan defenders busy, but the latter remained strong to thwart the moves through Dame Traori and Gabriel Mercado who, on one occasion, stopped Al Sadd’s Akram Afif prowling with the ball on the edge of the box.
Close to the hour-mark, Al Sadd coach Xavi opted for double substitution and benched Tabata, and brought in influential Hassan Al Haydous along with Jung Woo-Young, in place of Musab Khadir.
In the 62nd minute, Afif received a near-perfect cross from Al Haydous, but the star forward’s powerful drive from inside the box was blocked by Al Rayyan’s agile keeper.
Seven minutes from time, Akram slipped in a short cross for Cazorla who picked out Bounedjah close to the goal. The ever-alert Algerian smartly flicked the ball into the net for the only goal of the marquee clash.
Al Ahli 1 vs Qatar SC 4
Date: Wednesday, December 23, 2020
Venue: Al Ahli Stadium
Qatar SC defeated Al Ahli 4-1 in a match that saw four penalty goals at the Al Ahli Stadium on Wednesday.
Anthony Okpotu (10th minute) and Youcef Belaili (49th, 68th and 89th-minute penalties) scored for Qatar SC. Nabil El Zhar scored Al Ahli’s goal by converting a penalty kick in the 42nd minute.
Qatar SC, coming off four consecutive victories, were in no mood for a let-up and went full steam ahead. The Kings went on to complete their fifth straight win and took their tally to 18 points following their sixth victory overall. Al Ahli remained on 19 points.
Al Ahli, who were in the lead position early in the tournament, initially played second fiddle to their rivals, but they matched them once they settled into their stride. Okpotu, Qatar SC’s spearhead with Belaili playing a good supportive role, took them ahead by nodding home Nasir Baksh’s cross from deep in the right.
Al Ahli managed to equalize through Nabil, who converted a penalty awarded when Qatar SC defender Mohammed Salem handled Ibrahim Majed’s header off a corner kick. Changing ends, Qatar SC were more assertive and they regained the lead through Belaili, who converted from the spot. The penalty was awarded when Mohamed Diame fouled Belaili.
The Algerian made it 3-1, again converting a penalty. This time, it was awarded after goalkeeper Ivanildo Rodrigues brought down Okpotu. The last goal came with one minute remaining in regular time. Belaili was yet again bang on target from the spot. The offense was Omid’s foul on Omar Al Emadi.
Al Kharaitiyat 1 vs Al Arabi 3
Date: Wednesday, December 23, 2020
Venue: Al Ahli Stadium
Al Arabi defeated Al Kharaitiyat 3-1 at the Al Ahli Stadium on Wednesday.
Ibrahim Nasser Kalla (16th minute), Mehrdad Mohammadi (47th minute) and Aron Gunnarsson (55th minute) scored Al Arabi’s goals. Rachid Tiberkanine scored the only goal of Al Kharaitiyat in the 50th minute.
Al Arabi have nine points and Al Kharaitiyat six. After a slow start, Al Arabi picked up momentum with a threatening move that lacked finishing touch in the third minute.
In the 16th minutes later, Al Arabi opened the scoring. Ibrahim, with nobody marking him, picked up a short cross near the half-line and then charged ahead solo. Around 5-6 yards from the edge of the Al Kharaitiyat box, Nasser curled in a spectacular right-footed shot that swung in late and beat the diving keeper.
In the second half, three quick goals were scored. Mehrdad, after receiving a short pass, charged into the Al Karaitiyat box with Mahmoud Abdelhalim giving a hot chase, but the former stopped the ball and then in the same momentum produced a left-footed clip into the goal. The ball swung and dipped into the far right of the keeper.
In the 51st minute, after receiving a cross from Osman, Tiberkanine charged ahead with the ball inside the box before calmly slotting it into the Al Arabi net.
Then came the spectacular goal. Gunnarsson, after receiving a short pass near the edge of his own box, ran with the ball for short distance and then in one single move fired the ball from around 70 yards into the net with Al Kharaitiyat keeper way out of position. The long-range shot took the goalkeeper by surprise and he could do little to stop the ball from going into the net.
Al Gharafa 1 vs Al Wakrah 0
Date: Tuesday, December 22, 2020
Venue: Al Sadd Stadium
Al Gharafa defeated Al Wakrah 1-0 at the Al Sadd Stadium on Tuesday.
The only goal of the match came when Al Gharafa’s Homam Elamin’s shot was deflected into the goal by Al Wakrah’s Ali Karami in the eighth minute.
Al Gharafa, with their seventh victory, moved on to 21 points, while Al Wakrah suffered their sixth defeat and remained on 10 points.
Both teams were coming off defeats, Al Gharafa crushing 1-4 against Al Sadd and Al Wakrah losing 0-1 to Al Khor in Week 9.
Al Gharafa dominated the match early on and got the goal that gave them vital three points.
A couple of minutes after taking the lead, Al Gharafa almost wreaked havoc again in the rival goal as Al Wakrah defender Ousmane Coulibaly had to effect a sliding save near the goalline off a shot by Amro Seraj when goalkeeper Mohammed Saeed had left his charge.
Al Wakrah upped the ante in the second half and, a few minutes after resumption, Benyettou’s header was parried by the goalkeeper.
They were unlucky not to have scored as Omar’s goal in the 90th minute was ruled offside. Ceballos and Omar too tried hard, in vain.
Al Sailiya 1 vs Umm Salal 1
Date: Tuesday, December 22, 2020
Venue: Al Duhail Stadium
Umm Salal held Al Sailiya to a fighting 1-1 draw at the Al Duhail Stadium on Tuesday.
Al Sailiya and Umm Salal have 12 and nine points respectively.
The match produced an exciting battle early on. In the fourth minute, Lawrence Quaye of Umm Salal drilled a shot towards the Al Sailiya goal, but his shot was deflected by Mostafa Mohamed stationed in his own box. The deflected ball trickled towards Kayke Rodrigues, who lunged to tap the ball in, but Al Sailiya’s experienced keeper Claude Amine reached the ball first and killed the dangerous move.
By a stroke of luck, Umm Salal got the lead early in the game. Omar Rabah charged into the Al Sailiya box and fired a powerful shot that was blocked by keeper Amine. And the ball landed a few feet away from him. In an effort to clear the ball, Al Sailiya defender Mostafa Mohammed produced a sliding move that resulted in the ball hitting Amine before going into the net.
Two minutes into the second half, Al Sailiya pulled off the equalizer. Ilyas, after a brief tussle with Roozbeh near the corner flag, slipped in a neat cross for an unmarked Tiago, who curled in a spectacular shot taken from the edge of Umm Salal box.
Al Duhail 6 vs Al Khor 1
Date: Tuesday, December 22, 2020
Venue: Al Duhail Stadium
Al Duhail beat Al Khor 6-1 at the Al Duhail Stadium on Tuesday.
Mohammed Muntari (fifth minute), Paulo Edmilson (11th and 74th minutes), Eduardo Rodrigues (60th-minute penalty), Abdullah Abdulsalam Al Ahrak (80th minute) and Ahmed Yasser (86th minute) scored for Al Duhail, who posted their sixth win of the season for a tally of 18 points.
Leonardo De Souza scored the only goal for Al Khor in the 64th minute, as they crashed to their fifth defeat and stood on seven points.
The match got off to a fast pace, with Al Duhail kicking up a storm from the kick-off. A slick team effort helped them open the scoring. After receiving a cross from the center of the field, Edmilson charged ahead on the right flank and entered the Al Khor box. Despite being under pressure from an Al Khor marker, Edmilson slipped a neat cross for Muntari, who easily deflected the ball into the net from close range.
With Al Khor struggling for momentum, Al Duhail jumped to a 2-0 cushion in the 12th minute. This time, Edmilson, who had assisted in the first goal, capped a threatening move with a goal. After receiving a short cross from the corner of the Al Khor box from Eduardo Rodrigues (Dudu), Edmilson calmly slotted the ball home from close range.
In the 19th minute, Al Khor’s Leonardo curled in a beautifully-taken free-kick, but Khaled Hassan’s tap from close range narrowly missed the net. In the 34th minute, Leonardo produced a spectacular shot from inside the Al Duhail box, but the move was blocked by Martin keeping a tight lid on the backline.
Three minutes into the second half, Edmilson, after breaking into the Al Khor box, fired a bullet, but his shot was blocked by keeper Baba Djibril. Seven minutes later, Giannis fired a top shot from the edge of the, but Al Khor captain Helal Mohammed blocked the shot with a short jump.
On the hour mark, Al Duhail went 3-0 after Dudu easily converted a penalty. Musab Abdulmajid produced a rough tackle while clearing the ball leaving Sultan Al Breik holding his ankle. Referee Hamad Al Subaie sought VAR assistance before confirming the penalty that was easily converted by Rodrigues.
Leonardo reduced the margin of defeat with a slick snap-header off a long cross from the flank. Ten minutes later, Edmilson tapped home with a sliding flick from close range on a cross from Dudu for Al Duhail’s fourth goal.
Al Ahrak and Ahmed Yasser then joined the scorers’ list with close-range efforts.
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