Relegation threatened Al Kharaitiyat stun in-form Al Gharafa 2-0

El Jaish and Al Sadd drew 1-1 in yesterday’s much anticipated round 13 QSL match at Lekhiwya Stadium, with both teams failing to secure the vital three points required to keep up the pressure on league leaders Lekhwiya who sent a message to league rivals last night by beating Al Shahania 10-0.
Jaish headed into the fixture with the upper hand over Al Sadd, with the stats showing The Soldiers have won five games compared to The Wolves’ three during the previous five QSL seasons.
After a cagey opening 30 minutes which saw both teams produce some nice periods of possession and deliver some crunching tackles, it was Al Sadd that made it onto the scoresheet first thanks to a penalty in the 31st minute. Al Sadd’s Baghdad Bounedjah made a good run into the box but before he was able to connect with the through ball and attempt a shot he was brought down by El Jaish’s, Lucas Michel Mendes.
Al Sadd’s Hasan Haydoos stepped up to take the spot kick and despite slipping over just before his right boot made contact with the ball, the number 10 still managed to convert and give The Wolves a 1-0 lead.
The penalty gave Al Sadd an extra boost and just minutes later they nearly made it two. Al Sadd’s talismanic captain, Xavi Hernandez, connected with a square pass in the 18 yard box and struck a low shot on the inside of his right boot but El Jaish’s goalkeeper al-Khater somehow managed to get a fingertip to it and steer it past his post for a corner.
Just before half-time, El Jaish equalised against the run of play with a great goal after surviving a bombardment from Al Sadd. Jaish’s Uzbek international, Sardor Rashidov, managed to connect with a lovely ball over Al Sadd’s defence and expertly toe poke it in from six yards out to make it 1-1 going into half time.
El Jaish came out after the break with pace and began pressing for a second from the whistle. Al Sadd’s goalkeeper, Saad al-Dosari, was forced to make a brilliant save after ten minutes of play when Rashidov hit a fine shot from 25 yards out that moved from left to right mid-flight, making Dosari’s save all the more impressive. Minutes later, Rashidov was at it again and should have made it 2-1 for Jaish after he found himself on the end of a perfectly weighted through ball and one-on-one with the keeper but stabbed it wide with his right.
Jaish should have again taken the lead on the 65th minute after their star Brazilian forward, Romarinho, managed to get past Al Sadd’s Iranian defender, Morteza Pouraliganji, and make a break for goal. Morteza ended up bringing Romarinho down rather than letting him get away one-on-one on goal but the referee failed to uphold the last man red card rule and instead awarded a free kick. Romarinho struck the dead ball well but didn’t get the height and it smashed it into the wall.
The final ten minutes saw a handful of chances for both teams and also a handful of bookings as frustrations turned into hard tackles. Both teams left with a point but Jaish will leave thinking they should have secured all three and closed the gap on league leaders Lekhwiya
Meanwhile, relegation threatened Al Kharaitiyat stunned in-form Al Gharafa 2-0 in a pulsating QSL tie at Al Gharafa stadium. A goal in each half from Mehadi al-Khamasi and Mohamed Abdulrahman gave the Thunders only their third win of the season.
The home side started strongly and promptly took the lead from a well-taken snap-header from al-Khamasi. Kharaitiyat’s Mahmoud Saad Abdelhalim curled in a beautiful cross from the left flank and as the ball dipped, al-Khamasi jumped high in front of Al Gharafa’s Fahid Sattam al-Shammari and deflected the ball home with goalkeeper completely beaten by the angle of the header.