Impressive Umm Salal just miss out on Qatar Cup Places.

Umm Salal enjoyed their joint highest finish in the QSL under the fourteen team format this term and showed plenty of dynamic football under Turkish tactician Bülent Uygun.  Over the summer Salal strengthened both in defense and attack bringing in Brazilian defender Wellington and Ivorian attacker Yanick Sagbo. Both players would turn out to be shrewd accusations by Bulent.

The season started solidly for Umm Salal an opening day 1-0 victory over Al Khor was followed up with a solid 2-2 draw against title chasing Al Sadd. In week three the Orange Fortress lost 3-1 to Al Rayyan however Umm Salal would then go nine games until they defeated defeat again.

Bülent Uygun's side was certainly solid at the back with the Turkish head coach taking a particularly pragmatic approach to the game.  This was certainly shown with four draws in five games stretching acoss October and November. An impressive 1-0 victory over Lekhwiya certainly highlighted Uygun’s tactical nous as a Yannick Sagbo strike put the QSL champions to the sword.

Umm Salal had a habit of putting in performances against the best sides in the QSL, and this was shown in the 3-2 win over El Jiash in December in which the side weathered late Jaish pressure to hold onto all three points.

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Summer signing Sagbo was blossoming in his role as the lone striker, and thirteen goals in twenty two games represent a solid return from the Ivorian. The former Hull city striker’s hold up play and heading abilty really added extra to the Salal attack, and allowed Uygun to aggressively attack some of the better sides in the league.

Salal where looking like strong contenders for a top four places, however constantly drawing games didn’t help their plight as the top four sides clicked into gear in the final matches of the season.  Just three points from a possible fifteen in December and January prompted management to make some changes in the transfer window.

Dynamic winger Sardor Tursunov and Mounir El Hamdaoui where quickly recruited and soon added further bite to the Umm Salal attack. Two 2-0 wins followed against Meisameer and Al Sailiya, the race for the top 4 was truly on for Umm Salal.




A dramatic 4-4 draw followed against Al Gharafa, with Umm Salal scoring late to steal the point,in what was one of the best games of Salal's season. Along with a draw with top 4 rivals Lekhwiya, however two defeats in the final five games to Al Ahli (4-2) and El Jaish (2-1) put way to Salal’s top four ambitions.

The orange fortress eventually finished in fifth spot just four points behind Lekhiwya.  With eleven draws this term Bülent Uygun will be annoyed his side didn’t finish off just two more games to edge into the Qatar Cup spaces.

However with the trio of Sardor Tursunov, Yannick Sagbo and Mounir El Hamdaoui set to stay with the club, expect a strong challenge from Umm Salal in the 2016/2017 QSL season.