Rachid Tiberkanine scored a brace as Al Sailiya beat Qatar SC 2-0 in Samuel Eto’o’s QNB Stars League debut at the Al Sadd Stadium yesterday. Eto’o, the former Barcelona and Cameroon star, joined Qatar SC earlier this week but could not stop his new team from their second successive loss.
Qatar SC and Al Sailiya were coming off defeats and were keen to get back to winning ways. Qatar SC coach Abdulla Mubarak was hoping that the 37-year-old Eto’o will make an instant impact against Sailiya. The 37-year-old played full 90 minutes of the encounter but could not find the net. Tiberkanine scored both off his goals in the first. The Morrocan opened the scoring in the 16th minute, before doubling the lead in the 36th minute via penalty. Brazilian defender Mauricio Ramos, who joined Sailiya last week, made his debut for the club with coach Sami Trabelsi impressed by his new signing.
In the first match of the day, Umm Salal eased past Al Ahli 4-1, which was also played at the Al Sadd Stadium yesterday. It was Umm Salal’s first win of the season after they had lost in the opening round to Al Sailiya and drew with Al Rayyan in their second match.
The Orange Fortress were without their spearhead Christian Osaguona due to an injury and also missed the services of Mohamed Sayed, Bazman Awad and Adel Alawi, due to injuries. But that didn’t make any negative impact from Laurent Banide’s side.
Umm Salal rode on a double strike by Mahmoud Al Mawas (10th and 72nd minute). Tresor Kangambu scored an own goal in the 54th followed by Ismail Mahmoud’s brilliant effort four minutes later to give his side a deserving win. However, Iranian midfielder Omid Ebrahimi pulled one back in the 84th minute while a red card to Umm Salal’s Adil Rhaili a minute before the goal was their brief moment of celebration.