Five-star Al Sadd storm to 18th Qatar Stars League title

Al Sadd cruised to their 18th and a second successive Qatar Stars League (QSL) title overpowering Al Ahli 5-0 in a sizzling final round match of the top flight season at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Friday. It is also their fourth title in the last five years.

Skipper and striker Akram Afif led the charge for The Wolves with the opening goal in the 13th minute penalty before Moustafa Tarek (44th minute), Paula Otavio (45+2 minute), Rafa Mujica (67th minute) and Claudinho (81st minute) added more to the scoreline.

The much-needed victory ensured Al Sadd lift the coveted Falcon Shield once again, ending the season with 52 points and edging out arch-rivals and title hopefuls Al Duhail, who with 1-0 win against Al Khor on Friday, ended up on 50 points. Al Ahli finished in top four with 35 points.

Al Sadd coach Felix Sanchez said that his team deservedly won the league title after a long and difficult season. “It was a long season. We faced difficulties at the beginning, but then we performed at a high level,” Sanchez said. “We always believed we could win the league title, and we succeeded in doing so. We played a strong match against Al Ahli, and we deserve to win the title this season. We congratulate the players and the fans on this victory.”

Captain Hassan al-Haydos expressed his joy and pride after guiding his team to their title, capping off what he described as a challenging season. He acknowledged the unwavering support of the fans.

Star Akram Afif dedicated the title to the collective effort and determination shown throughout a demanding season. “Winning the league title is the fruit of a full season of hard work during which the team performed at a high level,” said Afif.

Afif acknowledged the fierce competition but praised Al Sadd’s consistency: “We faced competition from other teams, but Al Sadd always proved its ability in every match. This season is different and has a special flavour. When you win the league title, you feel like you’ve achieved something great—it’s the result of effort and the harvest of an entire season.”

In a similar vein, Al Sadd midfielder Mohammed Waad emphasised the importance of the victory while setting sights on future success. “This is a great achievement, but we have many more championships ahead. We must look forward, and I congratulate the fans on this league title.”

With Al Sadd needing a win to be sure of the title, they went up the lead early as Al Ahli’s Talal Abdulla Bahzad fouled while trying to tackle an advancing Afif inside the box on the right and near the goalline. The referee initially ruled out a foul but a VAR check showed that Bahzad had stepped on the left-foot of Afif and that the latter was not play-acting. Afif soon stepped up and scored coolly from the spot into the left corner.

A determined Al Ahli tried to make amends but in the 21st minute an Abdelrahman Mohammed strike hit the bottom of the left post. Fourteen minutes later, Moustafa had another chance as he came face to face with Al Sadd goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham, after being put through with the ball, but in trying to lob the ball over Barsham, the player did too much and the ball sailed over the post.

Al Sadd would not give away any more leeway and hit back strongly just ahead of the half-time whistle. The lead was doubled after a Claudinho long strike was spilled by Al Ahli goalkeeper Marwan Sherif and a charging in Mashal put the ball into the net.

Al Ahli’s hopes were further dashed within minutes as Otavio deflected home a super Afif cross from the left to make it 3-0. In the second session, Al Sadd
stamped their class and authority further.

Afif again lit up the stadium for his team’s numerous fans as he attempted to score with a left-footed strike in the 66th minute but the kick was well stopped by a diving Sherif. It did not matter as in the very next minute Afif provided Mujica with a fine cross from the right to score (4-0).

Claudinho also joined in the goal-scoring delight as he thumped in a down-headed volley from Paulo Otavio (5-0). Afif and Mujica ended with 18 goals each, the highest for their team in the league championship.

Meanwhile, Al Duhail struggled to beat Al Khor even as Sadd were rampant against Ahli. Kenyan striker Michael Olunga netted the only goal of the match in the 68th minute, but that wasn’t enough for Duhail as Sadd pipped them to the title. Already-relegated Al Khor finished at the bottom of the table with 13 points.

At the Thani Bin Jassim Stadium, Pelle van Amersfoort netted a brace as Al Shahania defeated Al Gharafa 2-1. The Dutchman scored in the 28th and 42nd minutes after Joselu had given Al Gharafa the lead in the 16th minute. The victory ensured that Al Shahania ended the season on 27 points and in seventh position, while Al Gharafa’s third position and 41 points remained unchanged.

Roger Guedes’ brace made the difference as Al Rayyan beat Qatar at Al Rayyan’s Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium. Guedes goals came in the 70th and 90th minute as Al Rayyan finished the season on 33 points and in the fifth position, while Qatar SC ended with 23 points and in the 10th position.

Umm Salal beat Al Arabi 2-0 at Grand Hamad Stadium. The Orange Fortress’ goals came from Abdullah Khaled Sheikh (8th minute), and substitute Abdelrahman Raafat Zaky (90+3 minute). Arabi’s Abdulla Nasser al-Muraisi was shown the red card in the 73rd minute, following a VAR check, after he landed his foot on Umm Salal player Khalaf Saad Khalifa’s head while attempting a reverse kick.

The win took Umm Salal’s tally to 21 points as they remained in 11th play-off place in the standings. In the play-off match, Umm Salal will be playing Second Division runners-up Al Markhiya. Al Arabi ended with 23 points in 9th place.

Al Shamal concluded their league season with a 1-0 victory over Al Wakrah at Al Janoub Stadium. Omar Mohammed scored the winner in the 51st minute as Al Shamal finished on 32 points in sixth place. Al Wakrah’s with 25 points were seventh.