Al Sadd draw with league strugglers Al Shahania

 Al Sadd missed their chance to go top of the QSL league after Jesaldo Ferriera’s men were held to a 1 -1 draw by league strugglers Al Shahania in Thursday’s early Round 19 QSL fixture at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.

Al Sadd came into the match with the added boost of welcoming three key players back into the squad, with Khalfan Ibrahim, Hassan Haydoos and Morteza Pouraliganji all returning to the first team and starting on the bench. Al Shahania’s manager Igor Štimac came in desperate for three points and his first win with the club as they looked to leapfrog Al Kharaitiyat and escape the relegation zone but they instead maintained their drawing form, making it four draws from six games.

The game started slowly but Al Sadd’s superiority soon began to show and The Wolves began controlling the game from midfield thanks to their captain, Xavi Hernandez. With 19 minutes on the clock, Al Sadd’s Baghdad Bounedjah missed a decent opportunity when he out jumped Al Shahania’s defence to connect with a Xavi free kick but put his head well over the bar.

Bounedjah made amends just minutes later though when he found the back of the net to make it 1-0 after getting between Al Shahania’s centre-backs and connecting with a pinpoint cross from the right wing, heading it down and towards the back post and leaving the goalkeeper with little chance.

The tide began to turn as Al Shahania stepped up a gear in their hunt for an equaliser. Their pressure paid off when they made it 1-1 on the 36th minute after a training ground free kick routine caught Al Sadd’s defense by surprise and Mohanad Darjal picked up the ball in the 18 yard box and hammered it in with his right from just six yards out to level the score.

The second half lacked any serious action until Al Sadd sprang to life on the 60th minute when they had a decent spell of possession that saw a number of goal scoring opportunities come and go. On the 61st minute, Xavi and Bounedjah linked up with a lovely one-two on the edge of the 18 yard box that enabled Xavi to find space and get a shot away that floated just over the cross bar.

Minutes later Bounedjah came close himself after some scissor-kick acrobatics in the 18 yard box forced a fine save from Al Shahania’s goalkeeper, Al Dosari, who managed to push the fierce shot wide of the post for a corner.

It was one way traffic for the remainder of the half but Al Sadd were unable to find the back of the net and their frustrations boiled over in what was a bad tempered end to the match. First up was Sadd’s defender Pedro who received his second yellow for clashing with Al Shahania’s Al Dosari and was sent to the stands. Just minutes later further red cards were shown when Al Sadd’s Majed and Bounedjah and Al Shahania’s Al Krabbi clashed and a ten man scuffle ensued on the pitch.

After more than ten minutes of extra time it finished 1-1 with Al Sadd missing a golden opportunity to close the gap on Lekhwiya. Lekhwiya play Al Khor tomorrow and can extend their lead to five points.
 

El Jaish and Al Sailiya take a point each in 1-1 draw

El Jaish and Al Sailiya took a point each after a 1-1 stalemate at Lekhwiya Stadium in the 18:45 Round 19 QSL kick-off.

Both El Jaish and Al Sailiya came into the game having struggled for form in recent weeks, with both teams hoping for three points to bolster their top four position and stay clear of the relegation danger zone respectively.

After a lacklustre start to the game, it was Al Sailiya that eventually made the breakthrough on the 23rd minute, finding the back of the net thanks to a fine goal from Uzbekistan striker, Sanjar Shaakhmedov. Valentin Lazar managed to control a long cross and square a volleyed ball back across the edge of the 18 yard box where Sanjar was making a run. Sanjar hit the ball first time and after taking a minor deflection beat the goalkeeper at his far post to take the lead.

Jaish came close to equalising just minutes later when their captain, ex-FC Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita, out jumped the defence and connected well with a cross to put a fierce header on target. Despite the power, the header was straight at Al Sailiya’s goalkeeper Gregory Gomis who’s instinctive save tipped it over the crossbar for a corner.

Jaish managed to bag an equaliser right on the stroke of half time thanks to a wonderfully worked goal that started and finished with Yasser Abubakar. After some quick tiki-taka passing, Jaish split Al Sailiya’s defense wide open and Abubakar was able to receive the ball in space in the 18 yard box and calmly finish it first time by nutmegging the goalkeeper to make it 1-1 going into the tunnel.

The second half was a stalemate as both sides cancelled each other out thanks to some good defending, meaning there were very few chances on goal.  El Jaish looked the more likely to score, and kept a high line for the entire second half, but were caught offside a handful of times.

Their best chance came near the final whistle when Sardor Rashidov produced some fine footwork to beak free in the six yard box but his shot was charged down and went out for a corner ball. The game finished 1-1 and both teams took a deserved point.

The points means that El Jaish extend their lead over Al Gharafa to six points and look likely to keep their fourth spot. Despite the point Al Sailiya could be drawn back into the relegation battle if Al Kharaitiyat can beat Umm Salal on Saturday.