QNB Stars League - Week 11 highlights
The 2020-21 season QNB Stars League reached precisely the halfway mark with the conclusion of Week 11 action on December 27 and 28, 2020. As many as 17 goals were scored. There was a high-scoring match and two games ended in draws. All teams, except Al Sailiya and Al Khor, scored goals.
Ahead of the start of the second leg with Week 12 fixtures on January 2 and 3, 2021, Al Sadd continued to top the table with 29 points despite being held to a 1-1 draw by high-flying Qatar SC.
Al Gharafa (22 points) kept their second place intact even though they were held 1-1 by Umm Salal while reigning champions Al Duhail improved from fourth to third place with 21 points following their 5-3 victory over Al Ahli in a high-scoring thriller.
Al Kharaitiyat, who were beaten 2-1 by Al Wakrah, remained the basement side with six points after suffering their ninth defeat, the most by any team.
Qatar SC 1 vs Al Sadd 1
Date: Monday, December 28, 2020
Venue: Qatar SC Stadium
Qatar SC and Al Sadd played out a pulsating 1-1 draw at the Qatar SC Stadium on Monday.
Consistent scorer Anthony Okpotu put Qatar SC ahead in the 31st minute and Santo Cazorla drew parity for Al Sadd in the 42nd minute with a penalty goal.
Al Sadd raised their points tally to 29 and Qatar SC to 19 points.
Al Sadd thus extended their unbeaten streak, the only team to do so, as the 12-club tournament reached precisely the halfway stage.
Both teams went into the match in great form, having won their last few matches in succession. Qatar SC had completed their fifth consecutive victory, whereas Al Sadd were fresh from their Qatar Clasico victory over Al Rayyan.
Qatar SC who took the lead against the run of play when Okpotu took advantage of a defensive mistake committed by Tareq Salman.
Al Sadd equalized when Cazorla converted a penalty awarded after Qatar SC’s Ali Karimi brought down Bounedjah.
Al Wakrah 2 vs Al Kharaitiyat 1
Date: Monday, December 28, 2020
Venue: Al Duhail Stadium
Al Wakrah beat Al Kharaitiyat 2-1 at the Al Duhail Stadium on Monday.
Ousmane Coulibaly (43rd minute) and Jassim Ali Al Hashimi (90th minute) scored the goals for Al Wakrah as The Blue Wave now have 13 points.
Al Kharaitiyat’s only goal was scored by Mahmoud Saad in the 21st minute. The Thunders stood on six points.
Al Kharaitiyat opened the scoring in the 21st minute through a freekick. Abdelhalim curled in a long-range free-kick in the 22nd minute. The ball sailed above two players who wanted to head the ball into the net. None of the attempts were successful as the ball swung and dipped late with Al Wakrah keeper Mohamed Ibrahim in no position to stop the ball that zipped past his right and into the net.
In the 43rd minute, team effort brought the equalizer for Al Wakrah. Murad Naji Hussein clipped on a long cross for Omar inside the Al Kharaitiyat box. Omar headed a loopy cross for Coulibaly, who lunged forward and tapped the ball into the net from close range.
In the 90th minute, Benyettou found Al Hashimi with a neat cross from outside the Al Kharaitiyat box. Al Hashimi deflected the ball from close range to beat the forward lunge of Al Kharaitiyat goalkeeper.
Al Gharafa 1 vs Umm Salal 1
Date: Monday, December 28, 2020
Venue: Al Duhail Stadium
Al Gharafa drew 1-1 with Umm Salal at the Al Duhail Stadium on Monday.
Sofiane Hanni opened the scoring for Al Gharafa by converting a penalty in the 12th minute, while Kayke Rodrigues equalized for Umm Salal in the next minute of the hard-fought match.
Al Gharafa now have 22 points and Umm Salal 10 points.
In the 12th minute, Gharafa's Ahmed Alaaeldin charged towards the Umm Salal box despite being under pressure from Aymen Abdennour. Just as Alaaeldin entered the box, Umm Salal keeper Malick stepped out and produced a sliding tackle that brought him down.
The referee pointed to the spot and Hanni converted the penalty.
Fast came Umm Salal’s reply. Adel Alawi clipped in a neat cross for Rodrigues who arrived with perfect timing to deflect the ball on the volley from close range as Umm Salal fans celebrated the equalizer.
Al Khor 0 vs Al Rayyan 1
Date: Sunday, December 27, 2020
Venue: Al Khor Stadium
Al Rayyan defeated Al Khor 1-0 at the Al Khor Stadium on Sunday.
Johan Boli scored in the 47th minute as Al Rayyan, with their fourth victory, raised their points tally to 16.
Both teams were coming off defeats, Al Khor losing 1-6 to reigning champions Al Duhail and Al Rayyan crashing to a 0-1 loss to leaders Al Sadd in the Qatar Clasico.
Al Rayyan, playing their second match under French coach Laurent Blanc, straightaway went into attacking mode. They greatly dominated ball possession and called the shots almost entirely in the first half, but could not be successful. The Lions even forced seven corner kicks as against Al Khor’s none.
Not long after resumption of play, Al Rayyan broke the deadlock through Boli, who was spot-on with his header off a cross from Khaled Muftah, with Brahimi setting the stage along the left flank.
Al Khor, also under Frenchman Frederic Hantz, were desperate to hit back and Giannis Fetfatzidid shot wide in the 62nd minute.
Al Sailiya 0 vs Al Arabi 1
Date: Sunday, December 27, 2020
Venue: Al Ahli Stadium
Al Arabi beat Al Sailiya 1-0 at the Al Ahli Stadium on Sunday.
Mehrdad Mohammadi scored the only goal of the match in the 43rd minute as Al Arabi took their tally to 12 points with their third victory.
Al Sailiya remained on 12 points after suffering their fifth loss.
After a short dribble near the edge of the Al Sailiya box in the 43rd minute, Mehrdad clipped a cross towards Soria inside the box. After hoodwinking a defender, Soria returned the ball to him, Mehrdad charged ahead and then curled in a superb left-footed drive. The ball swung late before crashing into the net to the right of keeper Claude Amine.
In the 81st minute, Al Sailiya’s Ahmed Al Menhali was shown the red card following his second yellow of the match.
Al Ahli 3 vs Al Duhail 5
Date: Sunday, December 27, 2020
Venue: Al Ahli Stadium
Al Duhail beat Al Ahli 5-3 at the Al Ahli Stadium on Sunday.
Eduardo Rodrigues (fifth minte), Ahmed Yasser (eighth minute), Paulo Edmilson (12th minute), Almoez Ali (56th minute) and Mohammed Muntari (90th minute) found the net as Al Duhail posted their seventh win of the season and moved on to 21 points.
Nasser Saleh Al Khalfan (second minute) and Nabil El Zhar (45+4 penalty and 67th minute) scored the goals for Al Ahli, who remained on 19 points after their fourth defeat.
Fans barely took their seats when Al Ahli opened the scoring through Al Khalfan, who was completely unmarked. After a couple of short passes among team-mates, El Zhar chipped in a cross for Al Khalfan. The young Al Ahli player jumped high in the air and easily sent the ball into the net with defenders Mohammed Moosa and Ismail Mohammed out of position to stop the move.
Three minutes later, Al Duhail found their equalizer through Rodrigues. Khaled Mohammed found Rodrigues with a short pass on the far right of the pitch. Rodrigues ran for some 10 yards with the ball and close to the edge of the box, he curled in a fast-paced flick that took keeper Yazan Naim by surprise.
Three minutes later, Rodrigues assisted with a perfectly-taken long-distance free-kick that sailed above the wall on the edge of the Al Ahli box before dipping a little away from the goalmouth. Yasser followed the dipping ball and deflected the ball on the volley with Yazan Naim out of position. The ball went into the net as Al Duhail celebrated their second goal inside three minutes.
It was 3-1 for Al Duhail as Edmilson, on a long loopy cross from the flank, managed to deflect the ball into the net a few yards away from the Al Ahli keeper who was rooted on the goalline.
In injury time of first half, Al Duhail’s Ali brought down Hazem Shehata inside the box. Referee Saoud Ali Al Athba sought VAR assistance and pointed to the spot and El Zhar easily converted the penalty kick.
Al Duhail jumped to a 4-2 cushion in the 56th minute when Almoez scored after a series of slick passion. Al Duhai’s Karim Boudiaf, stationed close to the Al Ahli box, slipped in a cross to Mohammed who was on the right of the pitch. From the flank, Mohammed curled in a cross for Almoez who clipped the ball into the net on the volley.
El Zhar added his second of the match on a loopy cross from half of the pitch by Mohammed Diame. Despite being chased by a defender, El Zhar calmly slotted the ball past the keeper.
Muntari, who replaced Almoez in the 75th minute, added one more from close range for Al Duhail to complete a 5-3 win.
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