Al Wakrah crashed out of the top flight after Al Khor condemned them to their 14th defeat in 24 games in the Qatar Stars League yesterday. Their 2-0 loss means they have just 14 points in their kitty, confirming their demotion to the Qatargas League next season.
Jean Fernandez’s Al Khor proved too strong for Wakrah, with goals in either half by Madson and Mouchine Iajour sealing the outcome of the match.
Madson gave Al Khor the lead in the 37th minute, the diminutive forward making a smart turn and smashing the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal with a left-footed strike. Al Khor had most of the possession in the first half and made the best of their chances.
Al Wakrah, however, were unfortunate not to score despite having some clear chances especially when Moroccan midfielder Mouhcine Moutouali sent the ball wide when he was one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
In the 67th minute it looked like Maher Yousef was going to equalise for Wakrah. However, after a brilliant counterattacking run and finding himself in front of goal with just the keeper to beat, he sent his shot wide of the target.
Al Khor made Wakrah rue their missed chances when they added a second goal. Madson got himself an assist as his pass from the half-way line found an unmarked Mouchine Iajour, who ran with the ball towards the box and played it round the ‘keeper, Hassan Idris, before sending it into the net.
Meanwhile, Al Kharaitiyat defeated Al Ahli 2-0 to boost their survival chances.
Al Kharaitiyat broke the deadlock in the 40th minute courtesy of a goal by January signing Rachid Tiberkanine. The Moroccan powerhouse received a cross from the right and headed it straight to the goalkeeper, Amer al-Dossary who spilled the ball into the goal.
In the second half, Kharaitiyat kept on the pressure on Al Ahli and were rewarded with a second goal in the 50th minute. Saoud Nasser got himself on the score sheet after he scored from a tap-in.
After a corner-kick landed to Rachid Tiberkanine, he shot the ball towards the goal and it was slotted home from close range in by midfielder Nasser.
With the win Kharaitiyat are now on 28 points while Yousef Adam’s men remain on 24.
Al Shahania also gave their survival hopes a boost, coming from a goal down to register an impressive 4-1 over Al Arabi. Nigerian striker Imoh Ezekiel had given Al Arabi the lead in the 6th minute but Al Shahania retained their composure to hit back with four goals over the next 84 minutes.
In just the 6th minute, Luis Jimenez – stationed inside the Al Shahania box – tapped a pass to Ezekiel who easily slotted the ball home from close range with goalkeeper Jassim Adel unable to block the move. It was the Nigerian striker’s 6th goal of the season as the Dream Team celebrated the early goal at Al Arabi Stadium.
Al Arabi could have doubled their lead in the 12th minute when Jimenez received a long ball from the flank but after dodging his marker inside the Al Shahania box, the Chilean midfielder missed the target with his close-range shot. The miss would prove crucial as Jassim Jaber helped Al Shahania draw level with a tap-in in the 32nd minute.
With just a minute to go before the break, Shahania’s Iranian striker Rahim Zahivi was quick to fire a swinging shot from just outside the edge of Al Arabi box into the top half of the net. Al Arabi   goalkeeper Rajab Hamza attempted a dive to his right but the ferocious pace on the ball saw Al Shahania take lead in fine style.
Just three minutes into the second half, Al Shahania jumped to a 3-1 lead. Substitute Fahad Khalfan showed plenty of pace to outrun his marker, former Qatar national team midfielder Talal al-Balooshi, before calmly slotting the ball into the net in the 48th minute.
Igor ?timac’s side rounded off a fine performance when striker Eduardo Santos pounced on an Al Arabi defensive error to slot in from a fair distance, confirming the 4-1 win for the Oryxes.