Al Khor secure safety after 1-1 draw with Al Shahania

Al Khor claimed a hard fought point against Al Shahania in their Round 25 18:20 QSL kick off at Al Khor stadium, a point that secured their safety from relegation and left them with guaranteed Qatar Stars League football next season and a result that leaves Al Shahania heading into the final round of the season knowing their fate is set and they will be relegated along with Muaither SC and Al Wakrah.

Both sides headed into the fixture high on confidence following big wins in round 24, but both were equally desperate for three points as they looked to avoid relegation. Al Khor knew that a point would be enough to secure their safety and see them playing in the Qatar Stars League next season, while Al Shahania knew only three points would give their survival hopes any chance going into the final round of the season.

Al Khor looked the brighter of the two teams and began piling on the pressure from the whistle, forcing Al Shahania to sit deep in their own half and keeping their goalkeeper busy in the first 15 minutes. Despite dominating, it was actually Al Shahania who found the back of the net first thanks to a counter attack against the run of play. With 17 minutes on the clock, Al Shahania’s number 39, Saoud Mohamed, found himself two on one with Al Khor’s goalkeeper after he and a teammate evaded the offside trap, leaving him with an easy finish from just 12 yards out to give Al Shahania a 1-0 lead.

Despite going behind, Al Khor didn’t let their heads drop and continued to press deep into Al Shahania’s half. On the 34th minute, Al Khor’s Brazilian playmaker Madson split Al Shahania’s defense in two with a perfectly weighted through ball that Al Khor’s Mouhssin lajour latched onto, taking one touch before skillfully stabbing it over Al Shahania’s goalkeeper to take the game to 1-1.

The game began to balance out in terms of possession but neither side was able to find the back of the net again and the first half drew to a close at 1-1.

The second half stared much like the first did, with Al Khor dominating possession and pressing deep into Al Shahania’s half. On the 50th minute, Al Khor missed a golden opportunity when Al Shahania’s goalkeeper fumbled a catch from a corner and the ball fell to Wellington Souza who was just six yards out. Despite being in front of a near open foal, Souza managed to sky the ball over the cross bar and miss the opportunity to give Al Khor the lead.

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Al Shahania’s best chance of bagging a second came on the 77th minute when they were awarded a free kick right on the edge of the 18 yard box. Their attempted corner slammed straight into Al Khor’s two man wall at the near post though and Al Khor were able to clear their box and counter. Al Shahania continued to look for the win and dominated the last 15 minutes of the game but were unable to find the back of the net after some determined defending from Al Khor.

Al Khor guarantee their safety for next season with a game to spare whilst Al Shahania go into the final  round of the season knowing they’ll be heading down and playing in the second division next season.