Al Sadd warmed-up for the Amir Cup final in style, with a clinical 4-1 win over Al Gharafa in the QNB Stars League at the Al Duhail Stadium yesterday. It was a critical match for Sadd against the second-placed Gharafa, but the league leaders put on a ruthless display as they extended their lead to seven points.
Boualem Khoukhi (fifth minute), Santi Cazorla (63rd minute), Akram Afif (84th minute) and Baghdad Bounedjah (90th minute) scored the goals for Sadd, who have 25 points following their eighth victory. Koo Ja-Cheol scored in the 76th minute for Gharafa, who remained on 18 points after their third defeat.
In just the second minute of the fast-paced clash, Sadd captain Hassan al-Haydos, darting down the right flank, delivered a near-perfect cross for Baghdad Bounedjah, but Gharafa defender Tamim al-Muhaza kept his nose ahead of the feared Algerian striker to head the ball for a corner.
In the fourth minute, Gharafa’s Homam Elamin brought down al-Haydous close to his own box with a reckless tackle that saw the Qatar national team skipper writhing in pain. Khoukhi did not disappoint with the resultant free-kick, sending the ball into the net with a slick shot that sailed into the top right of net with Gharafa keeper Salah Hassan unable to stop the ball.
It was Khoukhi’s first goal of the season and it came off in a spectacular fashion. On the half-hour mark, Tarek Salman of Sadd, after making his way into the Gharafa box, picked up a deflected ball and fired a shot that hit the goalpost. Two minutes later, Gharafa wasted a golden opportunity to score off a penalty kick. Salman brought down Yousef Muftah of Gharafa. The referee sought the assistance VAR and then pointed to the spot kick. Gharafa’s Algerian midfielder Sofiane Hanni decided to go left of keeper Meshaal Barsham who produced a perfect dive to deflect the ball away. 
Sadd doubled their lead when Muftah brought down Guilherme Torres resulting in a long-range free-kick. Cazorla curled in a free-kick that sailed above the Gharafa wall and dipped on the goalkeeper before bouncing.
In the 74th minute, Hanni despite under pressure from defender Abdelkarim Hassan, found Koo with a neat cross and slipped in the ball from touching distance of the goalline. Koo charged into the Sadd box and fired home with a powerful shot.
Ten minutes later, Afif produced a deft left-footed flick from an acute angle into the top of the net for his fifth goal of the season. Bounedjah added Al Sadd’s fourth goal in the last minute from close range.


Edmilson brace powers 
Duhail to victory
Meanwhile, a brace from Edmilson Junior secured defending champions Al Duhail a 2-0 win over Al Arabi at home. Edmilson scored in the 32nd and 78th minutes as Duhail won for the fifth time this eason and are fifth on 15 points. Al Arabi remained on six points after their fifth defeat. 
After a cagey start, Arabi’s Abdulla al-Marafi provided a bit of flair when he attempted a bicycle kick from the edge of the box, but his spectacular shot was punched by keeper Mohamed al-Bakri in the sixth minute.
Two minutes later, Duhail’s Eduardo Rodrigues (Dudu) dribbled past Ibrahim Kalla and charged into the Arabi box. The Brazilian fired a powerful shot that sailed past the Arabi goalpost in what was their first serious attempt at goal. Edmilson curled in a powerful left-footed drive that was smartly pouched by Al Arabi keeper Sataa al-Abbasi in the 15th minute as both teams traded attacks regularly.
Al Duhail then opened the scoring. Rodrigues, in the centre of the pitch near the Al Arabi box, found Edmilson with a short pass. Al Arabi’s Fahad Shnein gave a hot chase but Edmislon, after slipping into the box, flicked the ball to the right of the goalkeeper from close range.
With Al Duhail seeking momentum to their attacks, coach Sabri Lamouchi benched Mohammed Muntari, who received a yellow card in injury time of the first half, and brought in striker Almoez Ali. The Al Duhail duo of Luiz Martin and Dudu were also benched.
After a few tame exchanges, Edmilson curled in a long-range shot in the 66th minute, but his shot slipped past the post without causing damage to Al Arabi.
The Red Knights sealed their commanding show with another strike from Edmilson who fired a bullet from the edge of the box after a short pass from Almoez stationed around 20 yards away. Edmilson stopped the ball, made a quick assessment of the angle and then fired a shot to the right of al-Abbasi, who dived full length.
Qatar Sports Club, meanwhile, beat Al Sailiya 3-1 to stay fourth. Anthony Okpotu (11th and 15th minutes) and Youcef Belaili scored for Qatar SC, while Kara Mbodji netted once for Sailiya, who are seventh with 11 points.