Al Duhail’s QNB Star League title hopes received a huge boost as the Red Knights beat Umm Salal 2-1, while their closest rivals Al Arabi suffered defeat at the hands of Al Wakrah yesterday.
At the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium, Duhail had to battle past a spirited Umm Salal side desperate to climb out of the relegation zone. The prolific Michael Olunga was the hero for Duhail as the Kenyan striker struck either side of half-time to ensure no slip-ups for his side. Adil Rhaili had pulled a goal back for Umm Salal at the stroke of half time.
Duhail’s win tasted much sweeter for Hernan Crespo’s men after Arabi went down to Wakrah 1-2 at the Grand Hamad Stadium. Yousuf Abdurisag’s 34th minute strike had put Wakrah ahead but Omar al-Somah brought Arabi back into the contest with an 82nd-minute penalty. But Arabi’s hopes for a last-gasp victory were dashed as Mohamed Khaled Hassan found the net in the first minute of added time, which put Wakrah back in fourth spot.
With two more matches to play, Duhail – who have a five-point lead at the top– can now seal the title against bitter rivals and defending champions Al Sadd on Thursday. A draw would be enough for Crespo’s men if Arabi lose or draw to Al Gharafa on the same day.
Umm Salal, who remained in penultimate and 11th spot with 16 points as they hope to avoid relegation, produced a challenging show and kept Al Duhail on their toes, attacking hard in most part of the first half. Abulrahmman Fayez al-Rashidi led the charge for the Falcons but his strike in the 39th minute failed to beat Al Duhail goalkeeper Shehab Mamdouh Ellethy.
The very next minute, al-Rashidi had another chance following a fast-paced action in front of the goal but he shot wide. Both sides attacked hard towards the close of the first half juggling for space in the danger area and in a tussle Umm Salal’s Rhaili brought down Al Duhail’s Ferjani Sassi to be flashed with a yellow card. The referee then signalled for the penalty following a VAR review and Olunga scored from the spot.
Umm Salal, however, hit back within minutes and through Rhaili who leapt high to make a perfect header following a corner kick action. Both teams resumed exciting action with attacking play. In the 51st minute Umm Salal’s Aleksa Vukanovic made a strong deflection off a good cross but the ball was parried away by a diving Ellethy.
Soon Al Duhail raised the tempo looking to create gaps and also went for some long rangers. It was a long range left footer of Almoez Ali which Umm Salal custodian Khalifa Ababacar Ndiaye could not hold on to and the ball rolled on for an onrushing Olunga to coolly score his team’s second and his 17th goal of the season.
At the Grand Hamad Stadium, the hard efforts of Al Arabi in restoring parity after their rivals had taken the lead were put paid in the end by a composed Hassan who was put through with a brilliant pass by Jacinto Dala. Midfielder Hassan went through two defenders from the left inside the box and beat a diving Al Arabi goalkeeper Jassim Adel al-hail to find the winner. A little while earlier Al Arabi had pulled level with al-Somah’s penalty kick after Sainsbury Lucas was penalised for a handball inside the box after a corner kick.
The Blue Wave were put ahead in the match by an alert Abdurisag who latched on to a ball on a rebound after Hazem Ahmed Shehata’s powerful kick hit the bottom of the right goal post.
Al Arabi had many chances at the start but they couldn’t find a good finish. In the 9th minute, Somah got a ball across in front of goal but there was no one to take advantage of. In the 15th min Rafinha Alcantara made an attempt at the goal but his shot was feeble. He returned in the 25th minute sprinting down hard but was tackled by the rival defenders inside the box.
In the 70th minute, Al Arabi’s Ahmed Suhail al-Hamawende provided a super pass to Rami but the latter failed to get the ball into an empty goal with his kick going diagonally wide to the left.