Nam Tae-hee’s strike helped Al Duhail beat Al Markhiya 1-0 to register their second successive win in the QNB Stars League at the Khalifa International Stadium on Monday. The South Korean Tae-hee scored in the 54th minute after both sides had played a goalless first half. The result pushed Duhail to third in the table with seven points, while Markhiya are ninth with four points
Meanwhile, Al Wakrah went top of the table after a 3-0 win over Qatar SC at the Al Janoub Stadium. Murad Naji Hussein opened the scoring in the 43rd minute, before Mohamed Khaled doubled the advantage in the 47th minute. Gelson Dala netted the third goal for Wakrah in the stoppage time. After fourth matches, Wakrah has 10 points, while Qatar SC are eighth with four points.
At the Khalifa International Stadium, Markhiya held sway for a long time after Duhail’s initial flurry at the start, and the promoted team even looked threatening, making several forays. The Red Knights, however, came back strong in the second session and combined with a fine move from the left. In the end, Youssef Farahat cut across a good cross and Nasser Saleh Yazidi set up the ball nicely for Tae-hee to make the perfect strike from the centre of the penalty box.
A second successful strike, which was disallowed, had come in the 76th minute. Farahat had sent the ball into the goal but only after substitute Suhaib Gannan had taken it out of the hands of goalkeeper Loukay Ashour who had flung a full stretch. The referee said no goal after a VAR check.
Markhiya could consider themselves a little unlucky as a powerful Hamroun Jugurtha hit struck the crossbar of the goal post in the 26th minute and flew away. Jugurtha was helped by a fine cross from Ayman Hussein.
Towards the end too, Al Markhiya - who began the new season beating Sadd - made several attempts but a solid Al Duhail goalkeeper Shehab Ellethy stood guard. In the 73rd minute a Driss Fettouhi shot brushed the head of Duhail skipper Luiz Martin and flew in taking Shehab by surprise but the goalkeeper still made a great save.
Ten minutes later, Shehab was again tested by Tilal Ali and Fettouhi on two occasions but he foiled the attempts. Earlier at the start, Al Duhail came close to scoring in the 16th minute when Michael Olunga’s kick off a volley went just wide off the left post.
“It was a good but hard fought win for us. Personally, I would have liked to be among the scorers but it didn’t happen today,” said Olunga after the match. On the injured Edmilson Junior, who watched the match from the stands with a cast in his ankle, Olunga said: “He’s our key player and obviously he’s missed on the field. I hope he recovers soon.”


Rejuvenated Sadd face Gharafaon Tuesday
On Tuesday, reigning champions Al Sadd will take on Al Gharafa, with the Wolves hoping to stitch a winning run. Sadd are heading into the tie after a victory over Al Ahli last week, and coach Juan Manuel Lillo said his team was looking to earn their second successive win.
“The recent victory gave us a great motivation especially to our young players. The team is doing better than what we have seen so far and winning the next match will definitely help us move forward,” he said.
Al Gharafa coach Andrea Stramaccioni was expecting a tough challenge from Al Sadd. “Al Sadd are a champion side but we are ready as we prepared well for the match. I am happy with my team’s performance and particularly our young players are performing well. Al Sadd are also playing with youngsters so the match is going to be a tough challenge,” he said.
In another match at the Ahmad Ali Stadium today, Al Rayyan will be looking to open their account when they face Al Ahli in their fourth match.
The Lions, coached by Nicolas Cordova, are the only side in the league yet to score a point after the first three matches. “Of course, regarding the team’s results, there is a kind of pressure and we will play the match with the best we have. The important thing for us is to work and work, to achieve a positive result,” said Cordova before adding the recent injuries have made the task difficult for his side.
Al Ahli, who suffered a defeat to Al Sadd, are hoping to bounce back but coach Nebojsa Jovovic is wary of Al Rayyan threat. “We know that Rayyan have won yet, but that does not mean that we can beat them easily. We have to make every effort and do our best to win it,” said Jovovic.