Honors even between Umm Salal and Al Kharaitiyat 

Umm Salal and relegation threatened Al Kharaitiyat shared the points in a 0-0 draw on Saturday evening. The away side Al Kharaitiyat missed a host of chances in the first half to take the lead, but overall will be pleased to pick up their first point in three QSL matches. 

Al Kharaitiyat started the first half on the front foot and Rachid Tiberkanine could of given the away side an early lead had his shot found the target instead of flying over the bar. The Thunders began slowly to dominate proceedings and missed another chance to take the lead on the twenty first minute however Anouar Diba’s shot was easily saved by Baba Malick. 

Umm Salal eventually found their feet in the match and registered their first chance of note on the twenty fifth minute. A surging run from winger Helal Mohammed ended up with his shot flying just over the bar. Al Kharaitiyat continued to dominate possession as the first half progressed, without threating to breach  the Umm Salal defence.

Rachid Tiberkanine came closest to breaking the deadlock on the thirty minute mark when his snapshot when just wide, causing the side net to bulge. Both teams walked off at half time honours even at 0-0. 

Ahmad Al-Ajlani’s side started the second period the stronger, and within a minute missed two guilt edge chances which fell to Uzbek winger Sanzhar Tursunov. Thankfully for Umm Salal, Baba Malick produced two good saves to deny the former Orange Fortress player Tursunov.  Five minutes later Al Kharaitiyat missed another chance to take the lead, this time Abdulaziz Al Ansari failed to fine the back of the net from close range from a Rachid Tiberkanine cross, with the young striker hitting his shot well over the bar. 

Umm Salal mounted a comeback, and ended the tie strongly and had plenty of opportunities to defeat the Thunders in the second half. Dheyab Al-Annabi struck a fine shot, which was destined for the top corner, however Kharaitiyat keeper Ahmed Soufiane pulled off a spectacular save to push the ball onto the post to keep his side in the match. 

​Mahmoud Jaber’s side had two further chances to take a last-gasp lead against, however Syrian attacker Mahmoud Al-Mawas spurned the two efforts just wide. The draw does little to help either side, with Umm Salal now in seventh place whilst Al Kharaitiyat are still in the relegation zone. 

Bottom-placed Al Wakrah snatch a point off Al Gharafa

Bottom side Al Wakrah shared spoils in a goalless draw against former Qatar Stars League champions Al Gharafa on Saturday evening.  Hosts Al Gharafa failed to impress against a Wakrah side that has only 2 wins out of 18 games before the clash. 

Al Gharafa started brightly when defender George Kwesi produced a neat charge in the 9th minute but his chip from close range was quickly blocked by goalkeeper Hassan Idriss.Al Gharafa picked up their pace after the 10th minute as the hosts stitched neat moves on home soil to pressure Al Wakrah who resisted with rugged defending.

In the 19th minute, Johnson Kendrick of Al Gharafa attempted a long-range shot but the ball sailed past the Al Wakrah goalpost as the visitors yet again maintained a clean slate under pressure. ​Seven minutes later, Al Gharafa's Kendrick once again provided a neat pass from the flank but Al Wakrah's alert defender Mohamed Arafa headed the ball away with an Al Gharafa player within striking range.

In the 38th minute, Al Wakrah's Ahmad Ali Khil slipped in a low ball towards Al Gharafa’s goalmouth but his shot was neatly slapped away by young goalkeeper Yusuf Hassan. Two minutes later, Al Wakrah midfielder ​Youssoupha Mbengue unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the Al Gharafa box but his strike narrowly missed the target.

In the 55th minute, Al Wakrah's Muaaz Al-Salemi provided for a solo run but his quick-footed shot from inside the box sailed above the Al Gharafa crossbar.With game inching towards a draw, Al Wakrah's Jassem Al-Jalabii unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the Al Gharafa box but theball swerved and sailed past the home team's goalpost in the 80th minute.

With three minutes to go, Al-Salemi once again produced a solo run and clipped a low cross towards the Al Gharafa goalmouth but his shot was blocked by the goalkeeper. Despite the draw, the result means that Al Wakrah are still rooted to the bottom of the league.