There was more excitement in the Ooredoo Stars League as the competition reached the eighth round and matches were played on Saturday and Sunday, October 26 and 27, 2024. The six games saw both thrill and rivalry with three matches producing results and three ending in gripping draws.

RESULTS

Al Shahania bt Al Shamal   2-0

Umm Salal drew Al Khor    0-0

Al Rayyan drew Al Ahli       2-2

Al Wakrah lost to Al Sadd   0-3

Al Duhail drew Al Gharafa 1-1

Al Arabi bt Qatar SC4-1

As many as 16 goals were scored in this week’s six matches. A total of 31 yellow cards were shown, while two players received red cards – Kenji Gorre of Umm Salal and Mohammed Al Manai of Al Shamal.

The biggest winning margin was witnessed in the match where Al Arabi handed Qatar SC a 4-1 defeat.

Al Shahania, Umm Salal, Al Khor and Al Sadd came out with clean sheets.

Al Sadd advanced to the second place in rankings on goal difference over Al Ahli (third). Umm Salal moved to fifth, while Al Wakrah dropped to sixth spot after suffering their second consecutive loss. Al Khor continued to be the only team not to have achieved a win so far this season.

Al Shamal striker Baghdad Bounedjah leads the scorers’ list with nine goals, followed by Rafa Mujica of Al Sadd who has scored eight goals so far. Al Duhail striker Michael Olunga is next with seven goals.

As for the standings, Al Duhail continued to be at the top, raising their tally to 19 points, while Al Sadd moved into second place after defeating Al Wakrah 3-0 which saw their points tally reach 15. Al Ahli dropped into the third place with 15 points – behind on goal difference with Al Sadd.

Al Gharafa remained in fourth place with a draw against Al Duhail, having raised their total to 12 points, while Umm Salal advanced two spots (from seventh to fifth) with 11 points after a goalless draw with Al Khor. The decline for Al Wakrah continued as they lost to Al Sadd, slipping to sixth place (11 points) similar to that of Umm Salal (in fifth).

Al Shamal, Al Rayyan and Al Arabi all have 10 points each being placed seventh, eighth and ninth respectively as Al Shamal lost to Al Shahania 0-2, Al Rayyan tied with Al Ahli 2-2 and Al Arabi regained their winning touch at the expense of Qatar SC 4-1.

Al Shahania with a win moved into 10th place with eight points, while Qatar SC in are in 11th and penultimate place with seven points, ahead of bottom-placed Al Khor (four points).

Al Shahania registered their second win of the season after having previously defeated Al Duhail.

Al Shahania beat Al Shamal while displaying control and authority with goals coming from Pelle van Amersfoort - from a penalty kick in the 22nd minute and Abdulrahman Massoud (83rd minute). The win also saw Al Shahania bounce back from the previous-round reversal where they had lost to Al Sadd, while Al Shamal suffered their fourth defeat.

The contest between Umm Salal and Al Khor ended in a goalless draw, with the teams taking home a point each. It was a fourth draw for Al Khor, and second for Umm Salal.

In contrast, Al Rayyan and Al Ahli were involved in a thrilling draw where the latter held the lead twice before The Lions levelled on each occasion. While Oumar Sekou and Eric Exposito scored for Al Ahli, Roger Guedes scored a brace for Al Rayyan.

Al Sadd were overpowering in their steamrolling win over Al Wakrah indicating their strong desire to keep up the march as defending champions. Al Sadd’s goals were scored by Rafa Mujica (two) and Akram Afif. The valuable three points took The Wolves to the second position in the rankings as Al Ahli were held to a draw by Al Rayyan. Meanwhile, Al Wakrah slipped further in the standings - after losing earlier to Qatar SC and also in this round which was their third defeat of the season.

Al Arabi regained their winning touch with a commanding second victory of the season as they beat Qatar SC 4-1. The Dream team stood out with their performance in both halves. Qatar SC were below the level seen in their previous match against Al Wakrah in the seventh round. Al Arabi’s goals were scored by Yousef Msakni (two), Rodriguez Sanchez and Yazan Al Naimat, while Qatar SC’s only goal was scored by Ataa Mohammed.

Al Duhail and Al Gharafa were involved in an absorbing draw, where The Cheetahs stood out strong handing leaders Al Duhail their first tied result of the season in a total of six wins and a loss for The Red Knights. For Al Gharafa, it was their third tied result. While Michael Olunga scored for Al Duhail, Mohammed Muntari drew parity for Al Gharafa.