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Defending champions Al Sadd’s unbeaten run continued but they were held to a 2-2 draw by Al Wakrah while Al Duhail thrashed Al Arabi 8-1 in the Qatar Stars League Saturday. Meanwhile, Al Shamal stayed top of the table even as their perfect start ended in a goalless stalemate with Al Gharafa.Redounae Berkane’s brace rescued a point for fourth-placed Al Wakrah against Al Sadd at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. Sadd are in sixth place.Akram Afif opened the scoring for Al Sadd in the 18th minute with a sensational curling right-footed shot from the left side of the box after Al Wakrah's defence failed to properly clear a loose ball.With a goal up, Al Sadd were in cruise control from thereon until Ahmed Suhail appeared to have conceded a penalty in the 34th minute following what seemed to be a foul on Al Wakrah’s Hamdy Fathy in the penalty area. The initial call was, however, rescinded after a VAR check.Four minutes later, Al Sadd extended their advantage as Giovani Henrique found the back of the net after seizing the ball from Al Wakrah’s Lucas Mendes and executing a left-footed shot from the center of the box.Al Wakrah had a chance to reduce the deficit in the 55th minute when Lucas Verissimo was brought down by Al Sadd’s Pau Prim in the penalty area. Nevertheless, the resulting penalty was missed by Berkane.Berkane, however, atoned for his miss two minutes later as he latched on to a rebound from Aissa Laidouni to cut the deficit for The Blue Wave with a beautiful scissors kick from the centre of the box.The Algerian striker stunned The Wolves with his brace, deep in the penalty area, in the 73rd minute as Al Wakrah drew level with their hosts to ensure the tie ended a point apiece.Al Duhail moved to fifth in the table as they thrashed Al Arabi 8-1 at the Al Thumama Stadium. Goals for Al Duhail came from Krzysztof Piatek (third minute), Al Hashmi Al Hussain (26th minute own goal), Sultan Al Brake (34th minute), Luis Alberto (38th & 60th minutes), Adil Boulbina (51st and 68th minute penalty) and Benjamin Bourigeaud (78th minute penalty). Al Arabi’s only goal was scored by Pablo Sarabia (23rd minute).Al Arabi made matters worse for themselves when Keddari committed a foul in the 66th minute to be shown the red card after a second yellow. The Red Knights opened scoring with a fabulous header from Piatek off an Al Brake cross. Sarabia equalized for Al Arabi, striking on a second attempt against defenders.Al Hussain’s header while defending conceded an own goal as Al Duhail regained lead at 2-1 and just did not stop from there on. Al Brake struck a long ranger for the spectacular third goal.Boulbina also showed presence of mind as he flicked one over the goalkeeper for his team’s fifth goal.Al Duhail’s Piatek missed a penalty strike in the ninth minute shooting wide left of the target and later he struck the top left post in the 41st minute.At the Khalifa International Stadium, Al Shamal and Al Gharafa played a goalless draw. The captivating match puts an end to Al Shamal's impeccable 100 per cent win rate, having lost points for the first time in the season. They hold a three-point advantage over Qatars SC, who are in action Sunday.The encounter featured numerous missed opportunities in the first half, prominent was Al Shamal’s Baghdad Bounedjah’s obvious sitter, which he disappointingly directed at the goalkeeper, followed by a rebound that he headed against the post in the 37th minute, much to the dismay of the entire stadium.The latter half closely resembled the initial one, as both teams had chances to overturn the stalemate but failed to capitalise on them.With the match seemingly winding down, Al Gharafa’s Ferjani Sassi missed the last obvious chance of the day after his header from the centre of the box, following an assist by Yacine Brahimi in one minute of added time, went just inches wide to the left.

As part of its commitment to fulfilling its social responsibility role and continuing to engage with all sections of the society and school students, Qatar Stars League supported Individual Sports Skills Championship held at Shafallah Center for Persons with Disabilities, an organisation under the umbrella of Qatar Foundation for Social Work. In the event that took place on Wednesday, representatives from QSL and Shafallah Center were present along with a number of club stars.The event included a variety of recreational activities and attendees took commemorative photos. Gifts were distributed to children enrolled at the center and participants from a number of schools.

Al Shorta will have to dust off rust when they host Al Sadd SC in their opening AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26 tie Monday.Al Shorta have yet to kick off their Iraqi domestic campaign while reigning Qatar champions Al Sadd will have the benefit of having already played several competitive matches.Both sides endured contrasting fortunes on the continental stage last season - Al Shorta's campaign ended in the League Stage while Al Sadd advanced to the quarter-finals."I'm happy to be in Baghdad, and I hope the match will be enjoyable for the fans," Al Sadd coach Felix Sanchez said Sunday. "We realize the importance of the tournament with its new format."What's most important now is for the players to be in the best possible condition for the match," he added.Al Sadd defender Tarqe Salman said Sunday: "A strong and somewhat a difficult match awaits us against the Shorta. Our loss against Al Shahaniya was a setback (in QSL), but we are capable of getting back on the right track."It will be a first meeting between the sides and the two will be determined to start on the front foot with Al Shorta having never won their opening AFC Champions League match while 2011 champions Al Sadd are winless in their last six curtain raisers.Al Shorta, in fact, only managed a single victory as they finished 11th in the League Stage last season.Al Sadd will be confident of taking the points, having ended a three-season wait by advancing to the knockout stage last season and the mercurial Akram Afif - who was involved in goals in each of his last five AFC Champions League Elite matches - will be expected to lead their charge.Sharjah FC (UAE) v Al Gharafa SCSharjah FC and Al Gharafa SC will target an opening day win when they square off in the AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26 Monday.UAE's Sharjah will be aiming to maintain their momentum from their AFC Champions League Two 2024/25 triumph while Qatar's Al Gharafa will be determined to avoid last season's league stage exit.The sides have kicked off their respective domestic forms relatively well, with Sharjah in the upper half of the standings.Al Gharafa defeated Al Sailiya 2-0 on Friday to sit third in the Qatar Stars League standings and will look forward to a first meeting with Sharjah.The UAE side, who were held 2-2 by Khor Fakkan in their league tie on Friday, will be determined to maximise home ground advantage, with Sharjah having a poor record against teams from Qatar on the continental stage - having only won once in six previous encounters.Al Gharafa will be keen to avoid last season's troubles on the continental stage, where they won only two of their matches to finish 10th in the standings.

Al Shamal continued their stunning start to the season as they beat Al Arabi 3-2 to open a two-point lead at the top of the Qatar Stars League.At the Al Bayt Stadium Saturday, Mohammad Mannai scored a brace (32nd and 68th minutes), while Baghdad Bounedjah scored the other goal from a penalty kick in the 64th minute. For Al Arabi, Yazan al-Naimat (45+1) and Jordan Veretout (72nd minute) were on target. It was Al Shamal’s fourth straight win in as many matches and took their tally to 12 points, two ahead of Qatar SC, who drew against Al Rayyan Saturday. Al Arabi are on four points.Shamal opened their account with a goal off a long corner kick which was intercepted by Bounedjah and pushed in by al-Manai. Arabi equalised as al-Naimat broke through and struck past defenders.On the hour mark, Arabi goalkeeper Yousef Hassan made two quick saves but then Alhashmi Mohialdin fouled against Bounedjah and the side was penalised with a penalty which the Algerian scored duly.Mannai’s second goal was a smooth effort from just inside the box and Shamal went 3-1 up. Frenchman Veretout made a fine strike to make it 2-3 for Arabi, but despite their best efforts they could not equalise again.Later, Qatar SC battled to a 1-1 draw against Al Rayyan at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium. In what turned out to be a thrilling 11 minutes of stoppage time, Ali Saoudi produced a blazing header (90+10’) for Qatar SC to equalise after Serbian striker Aleksander Mitrovic had fired in a goal (90+1 minute) for The Lions.With a point gained, Qatar SC’s stood second in the standings with 10 points while Al Rayyan moved up to seven points in fourth.In the 50th minute, an own goal by Qatar SC’s Nasir Baksh was ruled out for offside.The Lions rejoiced when Mitrovic fired in home from top of the box off a Roger Guedes assist but it was shortlived as Qatar SC’s Saoudi stormed in a fine Yan Mateus free kick to level score.It was goals galore at the Al Thumama Stadium as Al Ahli grabbed their first win defeating Al Wakrah. Ahli’s goals came from Fahad Waad (eighth minute own goal), Michel Vlap (27th & 72nd minutes), Suhaib Gannan (42nd minute) and Julian Draxler (89 minute). For Wakrah, Redouane Berkane (16th & 46th minutes) and Amin Zahzouh (35th minute penalty) scored.

As part of the promotion of 2025-2026 Doha Bank Stars League and in celebration of Back To School season, the Qatar Stars League (QSL) organised a promotional event at Yarmouk Preparatory School for Boys Wednesday. Representatives from QSL, Yarmouk school administration and several club stars as well as students participated in the event. The event included many programmes and activities, and featured a showcase of upcoming Doha Bank Stars League matches. Attendees and students posed for photos with the league shield, expressing their happiness at participating in the event. Gifts were distributed to them. The event aligned with QSL’s commitment towards the community and interacting with all sections of the society, including school students, with the aim of encouraging them to attend stadiums and support their teams.

Still searching for their first win of the new season of Qatar Stars League (QSL), Al Duhail aim to put it across Al Rayyan in their third round clash at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium today at 6.30pm.Runners-up of the last season, Al Duhail have so far logged one point from their opening two games while Al Rayyan have three points. Al Duhail were held 1-1 by Al Shahania and lost 1-2 to Al Wakrah whereas Al Rayyan beat Al Sailiya 3-1 and lost 2-4 to Al Shamal in their respective two rounds. Al Duhail’s coach Djamel Belmadi expressed concern while speaking ahead of the tie but hoped for his side to get back to winning ways.“There are many reasons that led to the team’s poor results at the start of the league, but it will suffice to mention one of the most important reasons: not playing consecutive matches during preparations for the new season, which may have led to a lack of harmony. We must play at our usual level and style on the field during matches from start to finish,” he said.“We haven’t achieved any victories in previous matches, and facing Al Rayyan is always difficult due to the strength and large fan base of the opposing team,” he added. Team captain Bassam al-Rawi, said, “We are not under any pressure. All teams are exposed to such things, and it is possible to stumble. The team has some new players and our performance is improving from one match to the next. However, we will not wait long, and we hope that The Al Rayyan match is the beginning of Al Duhail’s recovery and return to its usual level.”Al Duhail would be missing their goalkeeper Salah Zakaria, who was sent off in their last match, and Al Rayyan would look to exploit the Red Knights’ cautious approach.Al Rayyan coach Artur Jorge said, “We are ready to face Al Duhail. In the previous match, we made some mistakes that affected the result. Our goal now is to do our best. We’ve trained hard this week to be ready for victory.”The side’s Brazilian player Gregory da Silva said, “I came from a different continent, and I’m trying to adapt as quickly as possible. As for the match, we’ll go in wanting to win. We have confidence and we strive to get the three points.”Al Sadd to meet Al GharafaDefending champions Al Sadd will meet Al Gharafa at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium today at 8.30pm. Al Gharafa have so far garnered six points while Al Sadd have three points to their credit. Al Sadd coach Felix Sanchez said his team wants to go into the international break with a win in this match.“It is important for us to win the last match before the FIFA international break. It’s important to enter the break feeling positive. We certainly want to achieve another good result for the team,” he said.“Al Gharafa have started the season strongly but we are confident of putting in a good performance on home turf and in front of our fans. It’s important for us to regain our balance after the first match. I think we performed well last week and showed improvement, and we want to continue building on that,” he added.Al Sadd player Pedro Miguel, said, “We know Al Gharafa have distinguished players and a strong squad but we also have great players. Our fans may not have been very happy with our loss in the opening match but that’s football. You can’t always win, and what matters is how you respond. We are preparing well for the upcoming matches and with time, we are improving step by step. Against Al Gharafa, we will show everyone that we are ready for the entire season.” Meanwhile Al Gharafa are looking at the return of their Romanian forward Florinel Koeman to add more muscle to their squad.Coach Pedro Martins said, “Koeman’s return to training will give the team greater options. The match against Al Sadd will be exciting and difficult. We must focus defensively without compromising our style and identity. Calm and focus are our path to achieving our goals.”The Cheetahs’ Spanish striker Joselu said, “We believe that a victory will put the team in a strong position with nine points. Al Sadd are a tough team, but we have a special team spirit this season, and we are confident in our ability to achieve a positive result with the support of our fans.”ROUND THREE SCHEDULETodayAl Rayyan vs Al Duhail at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium (6:30pm)Al Sadd vs Al Gharafa at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium (8:30pm)FridayAl Arabi vs Umm Salal at Al Thumama Stadium (6:30pm)Al Shahania vs Al Wakrah at Khalifa International Stadium (8:30pm)SaturdayAl Sailiya vs Al Shamal at Al Bayt Stadium (6:30pm)Qatar SC vs Al Ahli at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium (8:30pm)

The Qatar Stars League continues with preparations for the 2025-26 QSL Cup aligning with modern formats used in several continental and international tournaments. This is part of a development plan that includes raising technical standards, increasing the number of matches, enhancing competition and exposure, providing young players with the opportunity to gain experience, and developing competitions for Second Division teams. To clarify all details related to the tournament, the match system, and the levels, the organization held a meeting with the participating clubs (First Division and Second Division) on Monday. The meeting was attended by representatives from the Qatar Stars League: Ahmed Salman al-Adsani, Director of Competitions; Abdullah Saleh al-Sulaiti, Director of Media and Communications; Ahmed Abdullah al-Sayed, Head of Football Operations; and representatives from several clubs and media outlets. The meeting included the following: - An explanation of the tournament system and the draw mechanism. The participating teams (20 teams) will be divided into five levels, each containing four teams. The process of determining the five levels will be based on the final standings of the teams in the First Division and Second Division Leagues for the previous season (2024-2025). A draw will be conducted to determine the matchups. According to the tournament system, during the league stage, each team will play 10 matches over 10 weeks against teams of different levels (two matches from each of the five levels). The tournament will begin on September 1, 2025. A Technical Meeting for the tournament was also held, attended by representatives of the Foundation, the participating clubs, and the Referees Department of the Qatar Football Association. The new conditions and system were reviewed, and it was emphasized that the first and second-placed teams will qualify directly for the quarter-finals. Teams ranked third through fourteenth will also advance to the next stage, with six knock-out matches played, from which six teams will advance to the quarter-finals. The organizational procedures, guidelines for match-day operations, and confirmation of the home and away kits for each team were also discussed.