Al Shamal climbed to third in the Qatar Stars League following a 1-0 win over Al Rayyan, while Al Sailiya moved off the bottom with a 2-1 victory over Qatar SC Saturday.
A second-half strike from Alex Collado proved enough for Al Shamal to take their tally to 24 points – seven behind leaders Al Gharafa and two adrift of defending champions Al Sadd, who are second in the table.
At Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Collado struck in the 54th minute after Al Rayyan goalkeeper Mahmud Abunada had punched away a Baghdad Bounedjah attempt. Al Shamal also had two goals ruled out for offside deep in the match. Al Rayyan – on 23 points – slipped to fourth place, three ahead of fifth-placed Al Arabi.
“We deserved the victory after we had a top performance,” Bounedjah said after the win. “Today’s match was exciting and featured physical clashes from both sides, and we knew that whoever scored the goal would win.”
Meanwhile, Abdulrahman Mohamed and Diogo Amaro struck in the second half to give Al Sailiya a much-needed victory over Qatar SC at Grand Hamad Stadium.
After a goalless first half, Al Sailiya moved into the lead when Mohamed made the most of a fine assist provided by Abdulla Hussain Al Muftah in the 72nd minute. Qatar SC, however, hit back soon after, getting the equaliser through Pedro eight minutes later.
Soon after, Eisa Ahmad Khaldi aimed for goal, but Al Sailiya goalkeeper Fahad Younis Baker made a diving save and pushed the ball towards a lurking Amaro, who struck his team’s winning goal in the 84th minute.
The result gave Al Sailiya valuable three points, moving them away from the dreaded 12th spot to 10th with 11 points, while Qatar SC remained seventh on 17 points.
