Mujtaba Jabbari (third from right), who scored the first two goals for Al Ahli, is mobbed by his teammates yesterday.
By Anil John/Doha
The new Qatar Stars League season got underway yesterday with Al Ahli making a cracking—albeit a sweat-drenched—start to their campaign at the Al Arabi Stadium.
Milan Macala’s boys made light of the 100 degree Fahrenheit nighttime heat and the accompanying 45% humidity to thrash Al Sailiya 4-1 in front of a few hundred spectators, most of whom were schoolchildren bussed to the match to give the season-opener a festive feel.
Unlike last year when the event started with much fanfare with a match between ‘favourites’ Al Sadd and Al Rayyan, this year the organisers eschewed their propensity for pomp by pitting two of last season’s mid-table teams against each other to set the ball rolling.
Perhaps their decision stemmed somewhat from the fact that neither Al Sadd nor Al Rayyan won the League last season, with the latter, even with their Brazilian-studded line-up, falling spectacularly from grace and finishing 13th in the 14-team event.
That was an unexpected low for a team nicknamed the “Lions” who must now win the second string league or finish second to bag a promotion to the top flight next season.
Al Ahli, of course, know all about how it feels to be relegated.
They too suffered a spell outside the QSL, but won the second division in 2012 to qualify again last season where they finished a creditable sixth with a string of consistent performances.
Relegation, however, will be far from their thoughts now after a convincing show yesterday with Iranian international Mujtaba Jabbari scoring the first two goals and Alain Dioko and Mulota Kabangu putting the result beyond doubt in the dying minutes of the match.
Despite the adverse weather conditions, the match was played at a fair clip which speaks volumes of the effort put in by the players in pre-season training to get fit for the tournament which began a month earlier than normal because of Qatar’s international commitments over the next few months when several club players will be on national duty.
Al Ahli clearly held the upper hand from the start and came close to scoring on a few occasions, but had to wait until the 43rd minute before they found the target—Jabbari soaring above the defence to head the ball in off a corner.
Al Ahli came back even stronger after the interval, with Jabbari grabbing a pass from Meshaal Abdullah in the 48th minute and slamming the ball into the net after a deflection from Al Sailiya’s French goalkeeper Gregory Gomis.
Al Sailiya’s desperation grew with each passing minute, and sure enough they found the mark in the 74th minute when Mohamed Saleh al-Neil chested down a long pass and slotted past the Al Ahli goalkeeper Amer al-Amri.
However Al Sailiya slackened up thereafter, especially in the defence, allowing Dioko to bulldoze into the penalty area and score past goalie Gomis in the 89th minute.
The match appeared over at this stage but another defensive lapse by Al Sailiya, which saw Gomis fail to clear the ball, helped Kabangu slot in his team’s fourth goal in the second minute of injury time to complete the rout.
“To start the league with a win is very important for the morale of the team,” said Al Ahli coach Macala after the match. “Thankfully the boys played very well today and Jabbari was particularly impressive,” the Czech veteran of many a Gulf battle added.
Al Arabi beat Khor 3-1 in opener
With Al Ahli making an emphatic start, can Al Arabi be far behind?
Taking a cue from their neighbours and rivals, Al Arabi also produced a dazzling performance to beat Al Khor 3-1 in the second match of the Qatar Stars League which began last evening.
Boualem Khouaki, Al Arabi’s Algerian defender slotted in a 25th minute while young Nigerian forward Imoh Ezekeil made it 2-0 10 minutes later to put their team comfortably 2-0 ahead going into extra time.
And although Brazil midfielder Madson pulled one back in the 79th, Al Arabi ensured they sealed the match with a strike from Spanish pro Pabla Hernandez three minutes from close.
Former giants Al Arabi who had fallen upon bad times enjoyed a revival of sorts last season when the signing of several good players helped them finish fifth in the standings. Backed by their devoted fans, their win yesterday on their home turf is expected to spur them on towards an even better position this season.
