Duhail wrap up title with plenty to spare

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
That’s a very famous line from Shakespeare’s epic love story Romeo and Juliet, but even at the risk of sounding clichéd, that sentiment also holds true for Al Duhail who won the QNB Stars League yesterday with two matches and plenty of fuel in the tank to spare.
The only element missing from the plot was some drama. In that respect, there was nothing Shakespearean in the way Al Duhail, who were previously known as Lekhwiya, went about their business the whole season, with nary a late twist or even a minor stumble roughening their path to the title.
They are yet to record a single loss in 20 domestic league and three AFC Champions League matches this season, no mean achievement for the team and their coach Djamel Belmadi, whose legend keeps on growing each year, this being his fourth title – the three others coming when the team played under their former name: Lekhwiya.
“I am indeed very happy with my team’s show. Every player played his part. They had the confidence and they never slackened,” Belmadi, the former Ligue 1 and English Premier League player said after his team had seen off Kharaitiyat 5-0 yesterday.
“We knew Al Sadd were very close on our heels, but when we beat them last week we were pretty much certain the title was ours for the taking,” the Algerian added.
Ahead of the match, Belmadi had grumbled about the hectic schedule for his team because of their involvement also in the top Asian competition.
“The exhaustion is not only physical, it is also affecting mentally. The players are in action every three or four days. We have to deal well with this situation in the coming games,” he had said at his pre-match press conference, although his team’s emphatic win would have considerably eased his worries.
For the record, Duhail, after struggling to break free for 25 minutes in the first half, first struck through Mohamed Musa (26) and then consolidated through Ismaeel Mohamed (36).
Strikes by Youssef El Arabi (56) and Youusef Msakni (82, 84) then sealed the outcome of the match and the title.
Only Al Sadd could have derailed Duhail’s title bid on their debut appearance in the tournament, but for that to happen they needed to not only beat Umm Salal yesterday corresponding with a loss for Al Duhail.
But neither happened as Al Sadd suffered a shock 2-1 defeat – an own goal by Boualem Khoukhi perhaps coming as a metaphor for the Wolves’ title-less run from 2012-13 when they won their 13th and last league crown.
The Al Sadd match was an early kick-off and the fact they lost meant they had no interest left in following the Duhail vs Kharaitiyat encounter. Their fate was sealed anyway and although a second place in the standings doesn’t seem all that bad, only the team in that position how much it hurts.
Hassan Ahmed gave Al Sadd the lead in the 12th minute yesterday but Khoukhi deflected the ball into his own goal two minutes after the restart to help Umm Salal draw level.
Umm Salal then dealt a body blow to Al Sadd’s chances with Oussama Darragi netting the winner in the 66th.
The Wolves had dominated the game in the first session but a combination of bad luck and poor finishing ensured Umm Salal kept themselves in the hunt for a top-four finish.
Meanwhile, Al Gharafa stayed fourth with a 3-0 demolition of Al Sailiya at the Al Ahli Stadium.
Attacking midfielder Wesley Sneijder was the star of the match. He scored in the 25th and 90th minutes, and in the interim had set up Mehdi Taremi to strike in the 44th.