Sadd beat Arabi as Duhail go top with win over Shamal

Reigning champions Al Sadd defeated Al Arabi 2-0 in the Qatar Derby in Week 11 of the 2022-2023 season QNB Stars League at the Al Arabi Stadium on Monday.It was a second win in a row for The Wolves, who were strengthened by the return of some of their top stars following the 25th Gulf Cup.In the day’s other two matches, Al Duhail beat Al Shamal 2-0 while Al Ahli were held by Al Markhiya in a 2-2 draw.Al Sadd yesterday rode on goals from Santi Cazorla (66, penalty and captain Hassan al-Haydos (72).The result took Al Sadd into fifth place in the standings with 13 points from nine matches, while Al Arabi (22 points) lost their leadership position to Al Duhail (23 points).The Qatar Derby clash was a tough battle between Al Arabi and Al Sadd, but the latter showed a solid defence, making things difficult for The Dream Team.Al Arabi did make a raid as early as the fifth minute, but an alert Jung Woo-Young staved off the threat.It did not take Al Sadd to make the charge and a big chance came their way in the 15th minute when Akram Afif put Baghdad Bounedjah through with a superb cross but the Algerian star deflected it just wide of the goal.The battle continued and in the 40th minute Al Arabi’s Yousef Msakni looked menacing, but an alert Al Sadd goalkeeper Yousef Abdullah stood ground.Al Sadd emerged stronger in the second half, making forays and using the open spaces, yet they lacked at the finish.The big moment came when a Bounedjah kick hit the hand of Aron Gunnarsson just on the left-side edge of the danger area. A VAR check by the referee ruled a penalty and Cazorla made no mistake with the kick.Al Sadd doubled their lead soon and with a spectacular goal. It resulted off a free-kick that was headed off by an Al Arabi defender, but the ball went straight to al-Haydos who was waiting outside the box.He seized the opportunity essaying a superb volley which went through the legs of two defenders and deflected off a third and beat a diving goalkeeper to his left.Hosts Al Duhail beat Al Shamal 2-0 to bag full pointsAl Duhail yesterday beat Al Shamal 2-0 at Al Duhail Stadium.The Red Knights’ win was realised through a brace from their Kenyan striker Michael Olunga, who scored in the 61st and 68th minutes. The victory took Al Duhail’s points tally to 23 points in 10 matches – coming from seven victories, two draws and one loss in the league so far.Al Shamal remained on 10 points. They have won three matches, drawn one game, but have suffered four losses thus far.Against The Red Knights, Al Shamal put up their good defence in the opening half, foiling several of their attempts on goal.Al Shamal goalkeeper Babacar Seck stood out with his saves and alert anticipation which left Al Duhail frustrated at times.In the 40th minute, Al Duhail midfielder Lotfi Madjer managed to score but Olunga was ruled offside, and clearly so.Al Duhail, however, did not have to wait much longer in the second half as their captain Almoez Ali and Olunga made for a fine combination to fetch the first goal.After a rasping drive from Almoez ricocheted off goalkeeper Seck, Olunga moved in to latch on to the chance and score.Olunga produced his and his team’s second goal minutes soon, positioning himself perfectly to reach for Ferjani Sassi’s flag-kick and place it in the left corner of the net.The goal also saw Olunga become the league’s top-scorer. He now has a tally of nine goals, one ahead of Jacinto Dala of Al Wakrah, who has scored 8 goals.Al Wakrah to take on Al Sailiya todayAl Wakrah coach Marquez Lopez spoke to the media ahead of their 2022-2023 season QNB Stars League Week 11 match against Al Sailiya. "After the announcement came that Week 10 matches were postponed, we started preparing for the Al Sailiya match. I think it is good for us to regain the services of three players after their national team duty and another injured player, and it is also good that we had time throughout the week to prepare for the match,” Lopez said."Al Sailiya could have scored more points from their first seven matches, but they could score only four points. In general, all matches are difficult. I know that they are at the bottom of standings, but they have good players in all departments, therefore it will be a difficult match like all matches in the First Division,” he added.Al Sailiya coach Sami Trabelsi said at a press conference yesterday: "We are in a situation where we need every point and we are well aware that the next match is of utmost importance because the opponents are a good, organised and tactically strong team. They had made an excellent start at the beginning of the league that gave them have the mentality of victories and became more harmonious and performed well since last season. And they are continuing the outstanding performance this season."We, at Al Sailiya, need to improve at the psychological level and start reaping positive results, so we can be psychologically free. We are working to improve overall and we will do our best to appear in a distinctive way in this match,” Trabelsi added.In the day’s other two matches today, Qatar SC face Umm Salal at Thani Bin Jassim Stadium while at the same venue Al Gharafa play against Al Rayyan.