Argentina’s Hernan Crespo bags his first title as manager over a perceived dark horse Umm Salal squad. 

Al Duhail secured the win in a dominating game on Tuesday, defeating a brave Umm Salal 1-0 in the Ooredoo Cup season finale.

South Korea’s Nam Tae-hee nailed a left-foot shot over Umm Salal goalkeeper Khalifa Ababacar in the first half of the match at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, where both teams put on a suitable performance at the Ooredoo Cup.

Several shots on target were made by the Red Knights, however Al Duhail ended up winning the match with just one goal by the South Korean.

Despite this, Umm Salal’s tight box security by goalkeeper Ababacar appeared to frustrate the offence of the Hernan Crespo side.

Shots ricocheted off the dooming presence of Ababacar in the second half as Nam Tae-hee rushed the Umm Salal box several times in the second half.

Minutes before the curtains of opportunity would ultimately close for Umm Salal, Vinicius Araujo’s struck a shot that merely missed the catch of the nets in the 80th minute.

With the golden opportunity to equalise going to the wind, Al Duhail was crowned champions of a final that they were considered favourites to win.

Despite a loss by Umm Salal, Tuesday’s night match is a cinderella story for the underdogs, who climbed the playoffs into the final despite battling to avoid relegation as they sit in 11th position in the Qatar Stars League (QSL).

Leading the QSL standings, Al Duhail will take on star-studded Al Sadd in the Qatar Cup final on 6 April while also confronting Al Sailiya in the Amir Cup quarter-final on the 10 April.