Umm Salal down Muaiter 2-0

Umm Salal on Thursday dominated proceedings to crush newcomers Muaither 2-0 in their Qatar Stars League clash at Al Gharafa Stadium. Playing in traditional orange, Umm Salal relied on second-half goals Abdulaziz Al-Yahri and Yannick Sagbo)to secure the win.  It was sixth-placed Umm Salal's third win of the season.

After a predictably slow start - where both sides struggled to stitch threatening moves - Umm Salal picked up a bit of pace in the 21st minute when Al-Yahri fired a bullet from close range but his shot was blocked by a Muaither defender though goalkeeper Basel Zidan was thrown off balance on the goal-line.

 

With momentum on their side, Umm Salal once again created a bit of breathing space inside the Muaither box - this time Al-Yahri chipping a lob ball over three defenders but his shot was quickly picked up by goalkeeper Zidan in the 26th minute.
 

Three minutes from the first-half whistle, Umm Salal's man of the match Al-Yahri slipped past his marker Omar Abdul but his deflection from close range was swiftly nipped by goalkeeper Zaidan.

 

 

In the 66th minute, Alef Santos produced a snap-header inside the Muaither box but his deflection from close range was wayward with only the goalkeeper to beat.

 

Three minutes later, Al Yahri scored his team's first and his second goal of the season to put Umm Salal ahead.Lurking inside the Muaither box, Al Yahri made the most of a loose ball and fired a bullet between the legs of defender Abdul, aiming for the right of goalkeeper Zaidan to score his team's opening goal in the 69th minute.

 

In the 80th minute, Umm Salal doubled their lead. Halal Mohammed - after dribbling past one Muaither defender - chose to slip the ball to an unmarked Yannick Sagob who rifled a shot past goalkeeper Zaidan with consummate ease.

Al Wakrah and Al Arabi bag two each for hard fought point

 

The final game of Thursday saw struggling sides Al Wakrah and Al Arabi battle it out for a point each in a thrilling 2-2 draw at Al Wakrah's Saoud Bin Abdurrahman Stadium in the 18:10 kick off.

 

Both teams came out looking to prove a point after a bad start to the season and the first half was full of action. Al Arabi had the lion's share of possession and looked the stronger team for the first 30 minutes but despite controlling the game, it was Al Wakrah who struck first after their number 5, Waheed Mohammed, hit a stunning shot from 20 yards out that smashed into the top right corner of the goal, looping over Al Arabi's goalkeeper.

 

Al Wakrah didn't have the upper hand for long though, and just four minute later their number 3 Mohamed Arafa, tripped Al Arabi's star striker, Ezekiel, in the 18 yard box.Captain, number 10 Boualem, stepped up and effortlessly converted from the spot to make it 1-1.

 

Just two minutes later Al Arabi should have had another penalty after it looked as though Saltan Hussain Al Brake tripped Ezekial in the box. The referee, however, was looking the other way and the foul went unnoticed despite protests from the boys in red. The penalty controversies continued and just seconds later, Al Wakrah should have

had a penalty after Al Arabi's number 24 Mohammad Juma  blocked a shot using his arm. Again, the referee and his linesmen missed it and play continued.

 

The second half started much like the first, with both teams looking hungry for all three points. On the 77th minute, Al Arabi were gifted the lead after a shocking piece of defending from Ahmed Fadel which saw him hand Ezekiel a easy shot from just five yards out.

 

Al Arabi couldn't hold the lead for long though and Mohsine Moutaouali ran at Al Arabi's back four and out of nowhere struck the ball from 20 yards out. The shot took a mean deflection which sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to make it even at 2-2 on the 80th minute.

Al Wakrah should have sealed all three points after they had a flurry of chances in the last ten minutes. On the 88th minute their best chance for a winner came when they found themselves three on two but despite Mahir Yusef finding himself one on one with thegoalkeeper, he couldn't seal the deal and both teams left with a hard fought point.