Al Rayyan strengthened their challenge at the top of the Qatar Stars League with a convincing 3-0 victory over Al Ahli at Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium on Thursday.
The win took Al Rayyan to 10 points, two behind leaders Al Sadd, while Al Ahli remained seventh with four points.
Ahmed Alaaeldin put Al Rayyan ahead in the 25th minute after the home side had made the brighter start. Roger Guedes doubled the advantage 11 minutes later with a clinical finish as Al Rayyan took control of the match.
Al Ahli struggled to create a response and went into the break two goals down. Guedes completed his brace in the 73rd minute to put the result beyond doubt. The Brazilian finished a move involving Ahmed Al Rawi to make it 3-0, with Al Rayyan comfortably seeing out the remaining minutes.
At Khalifa International Stadium, Al Gharafa were held to a goalless draw by Lusail despite dominating much of the match and creating several good chances.
Al Gharafa came closest to breaking the deadlock in stoppage time when Adam Ounas' spectacular curling free kick struck the crossbar in the 90+3rd minute.
They had another excellent opportunity in the 73rd minute, but Alaaeddin Hassan sent the ball wide after failing to control a pass inside the box with only the goalkeeper to beat.
Earlier, Frank Magri's effort struck the left post in the 35th minute. Lusail threatened in the 68th minute when Farhad Zavoshi's strike was saved by Al Gharafa goalkeeper Khalifa Ababacar. The ball slipped from the goalkeeper's hands, but he recovered it just before it crossed the goal line.
The draw left Lusail in fourth place with five points, while Al Gharafa are eighth with four.
On Saturday, Al Arabi face Qatar SC at Al Thumama Stadium, with both teams looking to build on contrasting starts to the campaign. Al Arabi secured their first victory of the season with a 2-0 win over Al Sailiya in the previous round, taking their tally to five points. Qatar SC, meanwhile, have collected just one point from their opening three matches following two defeats and a draw.
Al Arabi coach Cosmin Contra said the victory in the previous round was an important step towards restoring the team's winning rhythm and boosting the players' confidence. "The recent victory was an important step to regain the winning rhythm and boost the confidence of the players," Contra said. "The upcoming match against Qatar SC requires continuing to work with the same discipline and focus to collect all the points of the match."
Contra said matches against Qatar SC were always fiercely contested regardless of the teams' positions in the standings. He added that his coaching staff had carefully studied the opponents' strengths and weaknesses. Al Arabi, he said, would look to impose their style from the start while making the most of attacking transitions and scoring opportunities.
Qatar SC coach Marquez Lopez is also targeting a positive result as his side look for their first win of the season. Lopez said preparations for the match had followed the team's usual routine, stressing that they approach every game with the same level of commitment and intensity. "What we lack at the moment is achieving victory," Lopez said.
The Spanish coach said the previous match had been difficult after his side were reduced to 10 players. He also pointed to injuries and absences as a major challenge, with Qatar SC unable to field the same line-up consistently. "We have not yet been able to play with the same lineup, given the absence of five, six or seven players sometimes in some matches," Lopez said.
The round concludes with Al Duhail hosting Al Shahaniya at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. Al Duhail are fifth with five points after a 1-1 draw against Al Rayyan and will be seeking their second win of the campaign. Al Shahaniya have three points after losing 2-0 to Al Arabi in the previous round.
Duhail coach Djamel Belmadi stressed the importance of securing all three points before the international break. "Facing Al Shahaniya will not be easy because they are a strong and organised team, but our goal is clear, which is to achieve victory and collect all the points before the international break, and we will do everything we can to reach that," Belmadi said.
Reflecting on the draw against Al Rayyan, Belmadi added: "In the last match against Al Rayyan, we did not get the result we were aiming for. To be honest, I think we deserved more than one point in that match, especially considering the opportunities we created and the control we tried to impose."
