Al Rayyan on a roll
The Lions’ juggernaut shows no sign of being halted. Despite losing Rodrigo Tabata to injury midway through the first half against Al Khor, Jorge Fossati’s men went on to record a deserved 1-0 victory.
There can be no doubt that Rayyan’s QSL rivals are playing defensively against the runaway leaders, who now boast a 15-point lead. However, it’s not making any difference to the end result – Rayyan are still winning games and are almost certain to claim their first Falcon Shield since 1995.
It will be interesting to see how Rayyan cope without Tabata for the next two weeks. It was confirmed after the game that their talismanic number ten suffered a hamstring strain and will definitely miss the next match against Al Arabi. Rayyan are also without Spanish striker Sergio Garcia, so the workload up front will fall to Sebastian Soria – the man who grabbed the only goal against Khor.
Wolves’ woes continue
If Jesualdo Ferreira hadn’t overseen a Qatar Classico victory over Al Rayyan, there would already be rumblings about his future at Al Sadd.
The Wolves’ form has been patchy at best since the Portuguese took over at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, and on Sunday night they suffered another setback – this time at the hands of struggling Qatar Sports Club.
The arrival last summer of Spanish superstar Xavi Hernandez promised much ahead of the new season but Sadd have struggled to find any consistency in 2015/16. A decent unbeaten start contained too many draws for the board’s liking and led to the departure of Hussein Amotta. But since then things haven’t improved. A positive showing in the AFC Champions League apart – where Sadd were unlucky to lose on penalties – it’s turning into a season of transition. The challenge now is to secure a position in the top four.
Ambitious Al Arabi
Gianfranco Zola’s men are looking good as we head into the business end of the season.
The Dream Team followed up last week’s morale-boosting win over Al Gharafa by defeating current champions Lekhwiya 1-0. The Red Knights had plenty of possession at Grand Hamad Stadium – and even missed a penalty – but it goes down as a vital three points for Arabi as they aim to cement a position in the Qatar Cup places.
Star man Nemeth
Al Gharafa look to have unearthed a gem in new striker Krisztian Nemeth. The Hungarian grabbed a brace in the Cheetahs’ 2-2 draw with El Jaish and looks to be the perfect replacement for Alain Dioko, who joined Lekhwiya on loan during the transfer window.
Gharafa is the 11th club Nemeth has played for on either a permanent or loan basis during his career. He arrived from Major League Soccer side Sporting Kansas City – where he enjoyed a decent scoring record – and Gharafa will be hoping he can transfer that form to the Middle East.
Watch out for the Orange Fortress
As expected, Umm Salal defeated bottom side Mesaimeer on Sunday. It was a sixth win of the season for the Orange Fortress, who have drawn too many matches so far this campaign.
Despite sitting in sixth place after round 18, Bulent Uygun’s men will still have an eye on the top four. With everyone above them, apart from Al Rayyan, dropping points on a regular basis, some consistency from Salal will put serious pressure on Al Arabi and Al Sadd. They’re only three points behind Arabi, who currently occupy fourth place, and have crunch fixtures against Al Sailiya and Al Gharafa coming up.
The Lions’ juggernaut shows no sign of being halted. Despite losing Rodrigo Tabata to injury midway through the first half against Al Khor, Jorge Fossati’s men went on to record a deserved 1-0 victory.
There can be no doubt that Rayyan’s QSL rivals are playing defensively against the runaway leaders, who now boast a 15-point lead. However, it’s not making any difference to the end result – Rayyan are still winning games and are almost certain to claim their first Falcon Shield since 1995.
It will be interesting to see how Rayyan cope without Tabata for the next two weeks. It was confirmed after the game that their talismanic number ten suffered a hamstring strain and will definitely miss the next match against Al Arabi. Rayyan are also without Spanish striker Sergio Garcia, so the workload up front will fall to Sebastian Soria – the man who grabbed the only goal against Khor.
Wolves’ woes continue
If Jesualdo Ferreira hadn’t overseen a Qatar Classico victory over Al Rayyan, there would already be rumblings about his future at Al Sadd.
The Wolves’ form has been patchy at best since the Portuguese took over at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, and on Sunday night they suffered another setback – this time at the hands of struggling Qatar Sports Club.
The arrival last summer of Spanish superstar Xavi Hernandez promised much ahead of the new season but Sadd have struggled to find any consistency in 2015/16. A decent unbeaten start contained too many draws for the board’s liking and led to the departure of Hussein Amotta. But since then things haven’t improved. A positive showing in the AFC Champions League apart – where Sadd were unlucky to lose on penalties – it’s turning into a season of transition. The challenge now is to secure a position in the top four.
Ambitious Al Arabi
Gianfranco Zola’s men are looking good as we head into the business end of the season.
The Dream Team followed up last week’s morale-boosting win over Al Gharafa by defeating current champions Lekhwiya 1-0. The Red Knights had plenty of possession at Grand Hamad Stadium – and even missed a penalty – but it goes down as a vital three points for Arabi as they aim to cement a position in the Qatar Cup places.
Star man Nemeth
Al Gharafa look to have unearthed a gem in new striker Krisztian Nemeth. The Hungarian grabbed a brace in the Cheetahs’ 2-2 draw with El Jaish and looks to be the perfect replacement for Alain Dioko, who joined Lekhwiya on loan during the transfer window.
Gharafa is the 11th club Nemeth has played for on either a permanent or loan basis during his career. He arrived from Major League Soccer side Sporting Kansas City – where he enjoyed a decent scoring record – and Gharafa will be hoping he can transfer that form to the Middle East.
Watch out for the Orange Fortress
As expected, Umm Salal defeated bottom side Mesaimeer on Sunday. It was a sixth win of the season for the Orange Fortress, who have drawn too many matches so far this campaign.
Despite sitting in sixth place after round 18, Bulent Uygun’s men will still have an eye on the top four. With everyone above them, apart from Al Rayyan, dropping points on a regular basis, some consistency from Salal will put serious pressure on Al Arabi and Al Sadd. They’re only three points behind Arabi, who currently occupy fourth place, and have crunch fixtures against Al Sailiya and Al Gharafa coming up.
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