Al Sadd had their handbrake pulled when they were held to a 2-2 draw by Umm Salal in a keenly contested encounter at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium.  

The Wolves had gotten off to a great start to the season when they defeated Mesaimeer 4-0 in their opening match. Today however, the Wolves came up against a resilient Salal side who themselves had won their previous match against Al Khor in Round 1 of the QSL (2-0).  

Salal was keen to keep their forward momentum going against Sadd tonight and they scored the opening goal through Yannick Sagbo in the 14^th minute. Midfielder Andranik provided the assist for the Ivorian to header powerfully. Sagbo now has two goals in two matches and is proving to be a great asset for the Orange fortress.

The first half ended with Salal ahead and deservedly so. Al Sadd were looking a little lacklustre and out of ideas.

The second half saw Sadd step up the pace as they started to create opportunities. But the breakthrough only came in the 63^rd minute. Mercurial winger Hassan Al Haydous provided a great assist to none other than Xavi who scored his first goal in the Qatar Stars League with a composed side footed finish. This gave the Wolves the confidence they need as they grew to dominate the game.

Just three minutes later Sadd doubled their tally when defender Musab Kamal scored after receiving a trademark defence-splitting through-ball from Xavi. Salal were in a state of shock, in a 5 minute spell Al Sadd had managed to turn the game on its head.

But soon enough the Orange Fortress found their rhythm and started getting into dangerous positions inside Sadd’s half.  

Al Sadd brought on their key man Khalfan in the 83rd minute in the hope that he could spark the Wolves back into life with a more attacking edge but the playmaker is still recovering from abdominal surgery and his impact was minimal.

In the very next minute Umm Salal scored through Nasser Al Khalfan, this time Sagbo turning provider with a low pass across the face of goal from the right.

Sadd tried to look for another goal but couldn’t find the back of the net and it was Salal who walked away, having claimed their first big scalp of the season. Salal coach Uygun Bülent, who constantly talks about wanting his team to have lots of fighting spirit, will be a happy man with this result.