The second-last-ranked team’s stunning win over title contenders scuffled the league table.
Qatar SC pulled off a narrow win against reigning champions Al Sadd, becoming the newsmakers in a week that saw Al Duhail extend the lead at the top of the Ooredoo Stars League table.
Egyptian winger Ahmed Abdel Kader’s 83rd-minute corner was headed into his own net by Al Sadd’s Romain Saiss as Youssef Safri’s side pulled off a 1-0 win at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium on January 23.
The away side caused the upset despite keeping only 27 per cent of the ball and with just one shot on target. It was particularly impressive for a side reeling after a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of UAE’s Al Nasr in the Qatar-UAE Super Cup a week earlier.
The three points took Qatar SC level on points with Al Arabi and just a point shy of the midtable.
On the flip side is where the stunning victory created more ripples. Al Sadd, who were second, have now been overtaken by Al Gharafa.
While Al Duhail’s goalless draw against Al Rayyan came as somewhat of a relief, it puts the Wolves four points away from the top, making the title defence more complicated.
10-man Al Rayyan hold off Al Duhail
Al Rayyan managed to get a point off Al Duhail despite having to play the majority of the second half with a man down at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium.
Al Rayyan’s captain Abdulaziz Hatem was sent off just nine minutes after the break for a reckless two-footed challenge on Michael Olunga.
Yet Artur Jorge’s side adapted well to keep Al Duhail, who boast of the most goals scored in the season so far, scoreless.
Duhail were partly to be blamed for their loose efforts in front of the goal as they failed to capitalise on the numerical advantage. Despite the intensity in dying minutes, several chances that either Luis Alberto, Edmilson Junior or Benjamin Bourigeaud took went in vain.
The draw saw Al Rayyan climb up to the fifth place, while Al Duhail are now just two points above second-placed Al Gharafa.

Al Wakrah prevail in high-scoring thriller
It was pure drama in Stadium 974’s first-ever Ooredoo Stars League fixture as Al Wakrah managed to pull off a narrow win against Al Arabi in a high-scoring encounter.
Despite leading 2-0 within the first ten minutes, Al Wakrah had to survive the scare of a last-minute equaliser, which was chalked off by the Video Assistant Referee, to see out an eventual 4-3 win.
While Gelson Dala and Aissa Laidouni were quick to pounce on the early chances to give Poya Asbaghi’s side the lead, Marco Veratti’s 16th-minute strike pulled one back for Al Arabi.
By the time Al Arabi’s second goal came from in-form Rodri Sanchez’s boot in the 67th minute, Al Wakrah had gone 4-1 up, courtesy of Suhaib Gannan’s 50th-minute strike and Ricardo Gomes’ penalty twelve minutes after.
Tunisian striker Yousef Msakni’s 74th-minute goal drew the scores close at 4-3, yet Verratti’s send-off just two minutes later caused more drama. The Italian midfielder caught Dala during a tackle and was shown his second yellow of the match.
While that made things complicated for Al Arabi, Rodri managed to be on target yet again in the added minutes, yet an offside during the build-up denied Al Arabi the equaliser.
The defeat puts Al Arabi level on points with Qatar SC, who currently occupy the relegation play-off spot whereas Al Wakrah climb to seventh with 17 points.

Al Gharafa halt Al Ahli’s run
Goals from Rodrigo Moreno and Ferjani Sassi helped Al Gharafa plot a 2-0 win, handing high-flying Al Ahli just their second loss of the campaign.
It was yet another testament to the fact that Pedro Martins’ side can be one of the most formidable sides in the Ooredoo Stars League if they perform in cohesion. On Wednesday, they did just that at the Thani bin Jassim Stadium, their longstanding home.
Rodrigo, starting his second game after returning from the finger injury that he suffered in late September, opened the scoring. The Spaniard netted a sumptuous chip at the far post, finishing Qatari winger Ahmed Al-Ganehi’s well-weighed through ball.
Just when Al Ahli, who punched above their weight and plotted multiple comebacks throughout the season, looked dangerous, Captain Sassi stepped up yet again to double the lead.
The Tunisian has come clutch for his side, scoring crucial goals like the one that got them to the AFC Champions League Elite. As he arrived late in the box to meet Yacine Brahimi’s cutback in the 56th minute, he added another to his tally of five goals in all competitions so far this season.
Bounedjah continues to fire as Al Shamal win big
Baghdad Bounedjah further extended his lead at the top of the golden boot race as Al Shamal put on another wonderful display to defeat Umm Salal at the Al Khor Stadium.
The Algerian striker was on target twice during the first half, netting a penalty in the 12th minute and then a goal in the first minute of added minutes before the break in the 4-0 drubbing of Umm Salal. The brace takes his tally to 13 goals — three more than the second-placed Roger Guedes of Al Rayyan.
Naim Sliti and Younes Belhanda joined the party, with the former hitting the target in 26th minute, followed by Belhanda’s penalty four minutes into the second period.
The win saw Al Shamal maintain fifth position, two points clear of Al Rayyan and Al Wakrah, while Umm Salal slumped down to ninth place.

Al Shahania plot comeback in drama-packed encounter
Three goals, three red cards, and a comeback. In the clash of promotion winners, Al Shahania came from behind to secure a 2-1 win over Al Khor, who were ten minutes away from plotting a valiant victory.
Currently at the bottom of the table, Al Khor had managed to take the lead two minutes shy of the half-hour mark, then managed to somehow hold on to that until the 80th minute, by which they were two men down.
First, Ruben Semedo was sent off in the 34th minute after a VAR check deemed him pulling down Pelle van Amersfoort red card worthy. Abdalaziz Al-Hasia saw the same fate in the 78th minute for recklessly tackling Mohammed Ibrahim — which was the final axe to Al Khor’s hopes.
Amersfoort secured the winner in the 85th minute after Mohammad Abu Shanab drew level just two minutes after Al Khor were reduced to nine men.
Al Shahania finished with 28 shots on goal, compared to six against them, with a whopping 74 per cent of total possession. They too had a send-off before the final whistle as Francesco Antonucci was booked in the fifth minute of injury time.
Al Khor’s misery continues at the bottom of the table with eight losses in 13 games, whereas Al Shahania
