Qatari league’s return after the international break saw Al Sadd suffer another upset, Al Gharafa drop points to Al Shamal, and Al Wakrah lose against table toppers Al Duhail.
New signing Mahmoud Trezeguet scored on his debut as Al Rayyan beat Al Shahania 4-2 in a weekend that saw the rest of Qatar’s Asia-bound sides drop points in the Ooredoo Stars League.
Trezeguet opened the scoring in the 4th minute as Roger Guedes bagged two goals, followed by Julien De Sart’s 15th-minute strike to put Al Rayyan in the lead at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium on Friday.
Al Rayyan were already three goals up by the time Al Shahania’s Mohammed Ibrahim scored in the 20th minute and Mohammad Abu Shanab’s late goal in the 90th minute only came as a consolation against the team in red and black.
That was Al Rayyan’s second victory of the 2024/25 league season, having lost against Al Duhail and Al Gharafa in their last two games.
Al Rayyan will host Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal on Tuesday in their first Asian Champions League (ACL) Elite game of the season.
Another upset for Al Sadd
Al Sadd’s title defence suffered another blow on Friday as they lost 3-1 at home against Umm Salal.
Captain Hassan Al-Haydos’ second-half penalty goal was far from sufficient at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, where Umm Salal’s Kenji Gorre and Antonio Mance’s first-half goals had put the visitors in a comfortable lead.
Edidiong Essien’s goal in the injury time then all but confirmed the result that came as a surprise to many as Al Sadd ended the game a man down after Mohammed Waad got sent off seven minutes into the second half.
“Today was a lesson for us,” Al-Haydos said after the loss. “We need to avoid the mistakes we made tonight, in future matches. We must learn from it.”
Al Sadd travel to Abu Dhabi to face defending Asian champions Al Ain to kick off their ACL Elite campaign on Monday.
Al Gharafa’s soul-searching continues
An own goal each on either post at the Al Bayt Stadium meant Al Gharafa dropped points for the third time this season against Al Shamal on Friday.
Saif Eldeen Fadlalla’s 11th-minute own goal put Al Shamal ahead, but the lead would only last for the next 25 minutes, courtesy of an own goal from Mohammed Al-Naumi.
Al Gharafa’s Spanish attacking duo Rodrigo and Joselu showed flashes of brilliance at times but were not incisive enough to trouble the scorers.
The Cheetahs currently sit sixth in the points table with five points from four matches, despite signing an array of attackers in the summer window.
Al Gharafa will kick off their ACL Elite campaign away from home on Monday against Iran’s Esteghlal FC.
Al Duhail’s winning streak continues against Al Wakrah
Edmilson Junior struck twice as his team and table toppers Al Duhail maintained their winning streak with a 2-0 win against Al Wakrah on Saturday.
The recently naturalised Qatari playmaker scored with two scintillating efforts in the first half and put his side in a comfortable position, despite continuous pressure from Al Wakrah.
Al Duhail only registered nine shots compared to their opponents’ tally of 22 and three shots but managed to keep a clean sheet despite Ibrahima Diallo’s sending-off in the 48th minute.
Al Wakrah, coached by Miguel Ramirez, sit seventh in the Ooredoo Stars League table with only one win from the opening four matches.
The team will host Iran’s Tractor on Wednesday and are the only Qatari side participating in Asian Champions League Two 2024/25.
Al Ahli continue unbeaten run
Julian Draxler’s second-half goal was enough for Al Ahli to continue their unbeaten run with a 1-0 win over Qatar SC at the Khalifa International Stadium.
Draxler’s strike was the only shot on target that Al Ahli could manage against Qatar SC’s five attempts, yet was enough to see them through and maintain second place in the table with a four-point lead over Al Sadd.
Igor Biscan’s side has now won three games, following a 2-2 draw against Al Wakrah on the opening day, with Draxler leading from the front with two goals and three assists so far.
Al Arabi drop points again
An equaliser in the dying minutes deprived Al Arabi of their first win of the season on Saturday against Al Khor.
Abdulaziz Al-Hasia scored following a cleverly worked free-kick routine in the third minute of added time to steal a point for Al Khor at the Al Thumama Stadium.
Qatar international Ahmed Alaaeldin had put Al Arabi in the lead in the 33rd minute after capitalising on a rebound off Marco Veratti’s shot that Al Khor goalkeeper Ahmed Kone failed to control.
It then looked like a smooth sail for the home side, who dominated possession and registered 25 shots, 10 of which were on target.
Al Khor’s Khaled Radwan was sent off with just three minutes left in the first half, making the task further difficult for the newly promoted side.
Al Arabi now sit 10th in the league table with three points from four matches and are level on points with both Al Khor and Qatar SC.
Player of the Week: Edmilson Junior (Al Duhail)
Edmilson Junior did not just make his debut for the Qatar national team last week but also scored two fantastic goals to propel Al Duhail to a win against Al Wakrah.
The 30-year-old was instrumental on the left, as both of his goals on Saturday came from narrow angles and after a show of flair.
Goal of the Week: Edmilson Junior (Al Duhail)
Edmilson’s 27th-minute strike to score his second goal of the night was one for the highlight reels.
He received the ball on the left, ran to the edge of the opponent’s box and opened his body to curl a sumptuous shot at the far post.
