Baghdad Bounedjah struck another hat-trick to boost his overall tally to 19 goals this season as Al Sadd beat Al Kharaitiyat 7-1  in the QNB Stars League at the Al Sadd Stadium yesterday.
Bounedjah scored in the 17th, 46th and 87th minutes as the hosts raced to a comfortable victory.
Hamed Ismail (28th), Abdulkareem Hassan (37th), Akram Afif (64th-min penalty) and Ahmad Sayyar (89th) also scored for Al Sadd.
Mahmoud Saad reduced the deficit with a left-footed low drive in the 82nd minute for Al Kharaitiyat.
Bounedjah opened the scoring following a fumble by Al Kharaitiyat keeper Ahmed Sofyan. Ismail slipped in a cross from the flank but instead of grabbing the ball, keeper Sofyan let it slip out. Bounedjah easily fired home from close range.
Ismail doubled the lead with a neat strike. Hassan then contributed the team’s third goal with a left-footed drive from close range.
Bounedjah scored his second of the match and 18th of the season as Al Sadd raced to a 4-0 lead soon after resumption of play in the second half.
Promising Akram scored their fifth goal off a penalty.
After Mahmoud managed to drive a powerful shot into the Al Sadd net from close range to reduce the deficit, Bounedjah completed his hat-trick with a powerful left-footed drive into the top of the net.
Substitute Sayyar, after getting a cross from Akram, curled one in for The Wolves’ seventh goal of the night.
Meanwhile, feared striker Yousef El Arabi also fired a hat-trick as Al Duhail beat Al Shahania 5-1.
El Arabi scored two goals in the first half and another in the second as the defending champions roared to their 10th win of the season.
El Arabi (24th, 41st and 67th minutes) was well supported by Paulo Edmilson (46th) and Nam Tae-Hee (90+3) as The Red Knights eased to victory.
The losers’ only goal came from Ramin Semeskandi in the 87th minute when he converted a long-range free-kick that Al Duhail goalkeeper Khalifa Aboobacker failed to stop.
For his first goal, El Arabi flicked a low shot after a loopy ball that fell near him. The Moroccan fired the shot with his right foot as Al Duhail went 1-0 up.
Four minutes from the half-time whistle, El Arabi picked up a cross and charged into the Al Shahania box. Without wasting time, El Arabi fired one home as Al Shahania protested for off-side. But the calls were dismissed and goal was allowed.
Soon after resumption, Edmilson tapped an easy cross into the net for Al Duhail’s third goal. El Arabi completed his hat-trick in the 67th minute when he found the net from close range.
In the 87th minute, Ramin put his name on the scorers’ list when his shot went through the hands of the Al Duhail keeper.
Just before the final whistle, Nam scored his seventh goal of the season.
Toppers Al Duhail are on 31 points from 11 matches, while second-placed Al Sadd have 23 from 10. Al Rayyan are third with 21 from 11.




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