Sadd beat Rayyan in Qatar Clasico, Duhail go top of table

Al Sadd edged past Al Rayyan 2-1 in the Qatar Clasico yesterday with the reigning QNB Stars League champions hoping the result will help them move up the table.
At the Al Gharafa Stadium, Andre Ayew (seventh minute) and Akram Afif (52nd minute) scored for Sadd, who secured their third victory of the season. Steven Nzonzi pulled one back for Rayyan in the 56th minute. Sadd are eighth with 10 points having played a game less, while Rayyan are 11th following their seventh loss.
Elsewhere, Al Duhail came from behind to beat Umm Salal 3-1 to go top of the table, while Ben Malango Ngita scored a thrilling hat-trick as Qatar Sports Club handed Al Gharafa a 5-0 thrashing.
Sadd have not had a good start to the season with Qatar internationals missing the first half of the season as they were preparing for the World Cup. But yesterday’s victory should give the Wolves’ hope of finishing in the top four if not retaining the title.
Both teams, especially Sadd, missed some players who are doing duty for Qatar at the ongoing Gulf Cup in Basra, Iraq. The match started off at a brisk pace and Al Sadd soon took the lead through Ghana striker Ayew, who capitalised on a pass by Baghdad Bounedjah.
Rayyan’s response came in the 24th minute by Yohan Boli, who fired a shot from outside the penalty area. Goalkeeper Saad al-Dossari saved the effort. In the 41st minute, Sadd were awarded a penalty when Akram was blocked, but it was cancelled by VAR.
In the second half, Rayyan intensified pressure with Akram finding the target off a rebound after Bounedjah’s attempt at the goal was saved. Rayyan’s persistent efforts paid off soon as Frenchman Nzonzi slammed home off a corner kick. Boli almost scored an equaliser in stoppage time with a header, but the Al Sadd goalkeeper brilliantly saved it.
Bounedjah said victory against Rayyan was an important one. “We are happy with the win, an important one for the team. The return of the national players is a strong addition to us and they helped us a lot in this match,” the Algerian striker said. “We will get confidence from this result. The most important thing today is the three points. Our goal is challenge for the title. We are going to take step by step to climb up the points table.”
Earlier, Duhail, trailing 0-1 at half-time, rallied strongly to make the comeback. Umm Salal held sway in the opening half and were put ahead just before the break by their new signing Valentino Yuel, who scored in the 43rd minute.
The equaliser for Al Duhail came late in the second half from Bassam Al Rawi (81st minute) before Michael Olunga scored a brace in the 87th minute (off a penalty) and in 90+5th minute. At the same venue, Congolese striker Malango struck in the 25th, 59th and 80th minutes against Gharafa. Javi Martinez (50th minute) and Bashar Resan (70th minute) were the other scorers.
The rollicking win, their fourth in the league, also saw Qatar SC move into the top four of the standings with 13 points from eight matches. The Kings have a postponed match against Al Sadd from Week 8. Al Gharafa, who suffered their third loss of the season, were pushed to fifth place with 12 points from nine matches.