Sailiya extend Qatar SC misery as Duhail held

Qatar Sports Club’s misery continued yesterday as they suffered a crushing a 5-1 rout at the hands of Al Sailiya, while Al Gharafa halted leaders Al Duhail’s winning streak by forcing a 1-1 draw in the QNB Stars League.Once a formidable side – they have won the league eight times – Qatar Sports Club have been in  decline over the years with only sporadic signs of revival.A huge defeat against Al Sailiya, who are relative newcomers to the league, will surely hurt their morale further as they languish at the bottom of the table with just three points from six matches.On the other hand, Al Sailiya have been impressive this season, picking up their fourth win in six matches to be placed fifth behind Duhail Al Sadd, Al Rayyan and Umm Salal.Yesterday, Al Sailiya thoroughly dominated their rivals and scored at will as they made their intentions clear of pushing for a top four spot.Uzbek international Temurkhuja Abdukholiqov (14th and 49th) and Romanian Valentin Lazar (45 and 62) scored a brace each while Brazilian Wagner Ribeiro netted once (23rd) to complete the rout.Michael Babatunde (90th-min penalty) reduced the margin for Qatar SC.After a series of attacks in the first few minutes, Al Sailiya’s Brazilian midfielder Wagner broke free of his marker and slipped a near-perfect ball to teammate Abdullah al-Marri who had charged into the Qatar SC box. However, the Under-23 player fumbled. Five minutes later, they opened the scoring through forward Abdukholiqov, who fired in a bullet from close range.With Qatar Sports Club struggling to counter Al Sailiya’s pace, the latter doubled the lead with the help of Wagner’s spectacular shot from the edge of the box. With seconds to go for the half-time whistle, Valentin headed home after Qatar SC goalkeeper Rajab Hamza completely mistimed his charge to punch away a free-kick.Abdukholiqov scored off a penalty in the 49th minute and Al Sailiya went 4-0 up. Soon after the hour mark, they scored their fifth goal through Valentin, who headed home from close.In the late match, former champions Al Gharafa held Al Duhail to a gutsy 1-1 draw at the Al Duhail Stadium on Saturday. The Red Knights still led the standings after Round 6 with 16 points, while Al Gharafa have six.Youssef El Arabi opened the scoring for Al Duhail in the 25th minute, but Al Gharafa hit back through Amro Abdullfattah Seraj in the 56th.Following a cagey start, star striker El Arabi produced a near-perfect header inside the Al Gharafa box, but his deflection from close range rebounded off the post, much to the dismay of Al Duhail camp.Al Gharafa’s seasoned goalkeeper Qassim Burhan was quick to pounce on the rebound in the 22nd minute. A minute later, Qatar international midfielder Luiz Martin Junior charged into The Cheetahs box, but his shot from close range narrowly missed the goalpost.El Arabi and Burhan were engaged in a battle again, but this time, the former was not to be denied. South Korean striker Nam Tae-Hee, sweeping in from the right flank, found El Arabi with a slick low volley. El Arabi, just a few metres away from Burhan, found the net from close with a quick tap into the goal in the 25th minute. It was the Moroccan striker’s 11th goal of the season.Al Gharafa produced the equaliser through Amro, who picked up a rebound off the crossbar following a powerful shot by Martin. Two minutes later, Nam produced a bullet from the edge of the box. However, his shot sailed past the goalpost, with Burhan well beaten.