Al Sadd earned a hard-fought 0-0 draw against defending champions Al Ahli Saudi while Al Gharafa were given a 5-0 thrashing by Saudi Arabia's Al Qadsiah in the AFC Champions League Elite on Monday.
The draw at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium took Al Sadd to two points after four matches, while Al Ahli moved to eight points to maintain their unbeaten record. At Al Rayyan's Thani bin Jassim Stadium, Al Gharafa slumped to their fourth consecutive defeat as Al Qadsiah registered their second win to strengthen their hopes of reaching the Round of 16.
In Doha, after plenty of back-and-forth by Sadd and Ahli but with chances at a premium, Ahli’s Artem Bondarenko attempted to resolve the situation in the 14th minute with an ambitious effort from 18 yards that sailed over.
Al Sadd striker Giovani’s speed down the left, meanwhile, posed problems for the defence but the Qatari side’s attacks fizzled out before they could trouble Edouard Mendy.
Eduard Spertsyan’s effort from range in the 27th minute sparked the match into life but the Al Ahli midfielder’s shot swerved just over the bar while Claudinho’s attempt at the opposing end moments later came closer to an opening goal, with Mendy forced to tip the striker’s blistering strike over.
Meshaal Barsham replicated his counterpart’s actions in the 39th minute to deny Roger Ibanez’s close-range header and then pulled off a superb finger-tip save two minutes later, pushing Galeno’s inswinger against the right post.
The pace picked up in the second half as the visitors’ Ivan Toney missed from close range and then dragged his shot across the face of goal while Mendy prevented an Al Sadd strike by parrying Roberto Firmino’s effort from just outside the box.
The two-time champions would have taken the lead in the 66th minute if not for a timely clearance by defender Paulo Otavia, who blocked Spertsyan’s goal-bound shot on the line with Barsham slightly off-position.
The Al Sadd custodian was in the right place and time, however, when he launched himself to the left to deny substitute Matheus Goncalves’ curling shot in the 84th minute, the keeper then having an easier time collecting Ibrahima Diaby’s header four minutes later before making a final save from Gonçalves in injury time.
Meanwhile, a first-half blitz saw Al Qadsiah Club register their second victory after cruising past Al Gharafa. Quinones was the star with a brace as Saudi Arabia’s Al Qadsiah boosted their progression hopes while condemning Qatar’s Al Gharafa to their fourth consecutive defeat.
Al Qadsiah threatened early, with Tijjani Reijnders shooting narrowly wide in the second minute after Christopher Bonsu Baah picked him out inside the box.
The Saudi Pro League side continued to press and took the lead in the 17th minute after a fine buildup, with Julian Quinones delivering a through ball for Abu al-Shamat, who finished with a volley which looped over goalkeeper Ahmed Kone.
Al Qadsiah nearly doubled their lead four minutes later when Musab al-Juwayr’s effort was blocked, before Reijnders headed against the crossbar from al-Shamat’s delivery, with Quinones then sending his overhead kick sailing over the bar.
Quinones, however, made no mistake two minutes later when he rose highest to meet Bonsu Baah’s cross, sending his powerful header into the top of the net.
The Qatari outfit tried to respond by pushing forward but that made matters worse as Al Qadsiah capitalised on the gaps with Yasser al-Shahrani reacting quickest inside a packed box to poke home after Reijnders' initial effort was blocked.
Quinones doubled his tally two minutes later, converting Reijnders’ pass from just outside the box to leave Al Gharafa with a mountain to climb in the second half.
Al Gharafa made three changes at the start of the second half, bringing on Yacine Brahimi, Feras Sassi and Saif Eldeen Fadllalla, with the move almost paying dividends in the 51st minute.
Brahimi forced a fine save from goalkeeper Koen Casteels before setting up Sassi inside the box two minutes later, but the latter could only rattle the right post from inside the area.
Any hope of a fightback was put to bed in the 81st minute after Gharafa were caught out again on the counter-attack with Mahamadou Sangare setting free Mohammed al-Qahtani, who side-stepped his marker before slotting past Kone.
