Tribune News Network
Doha
Al Sadd’s Ooredoo Stars League title hopes were dealt a blow as the defending champions were stunned by Qatar SC, losing 0-1 at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Thursday. An own goal from Sadd defender Romain Saiss in the 83rd minute handed Qatar SC a famous victory.
Al Sadd remain third in the table, four points behind leaders Al Duhail, who were held to a goalless draw by Al Rayyan at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium yesterday. Duhail failed to capitalise on Al Sadd’s slip against a resolute 10-man Al Rayyan and are now just two points ahead of second-placed Al Gharafa.
The win took Qatar SC’s points tally to 13, but they still languish in the relegation zone, sitting in 11th place. However, they are just one point behind seventh-placed Al Shahania in a congested mid-table.
Qatar SC midfielder Ahmed Abdel Kader hoped the victory over Al Sadd would be "a new start for us in the league.” He said, "We played a good match and applied pressure on the opponent from the start. I hope that this victory will be a new beginning for Qatar SC.”
Al Sadd started the match on the offensive, pinning Qatar SC into their own half for much of the early minutes. Akram Afif came close to giving them the opener in the seventh minute, but an offside flag halted the advancement of the reigning Asian Player of the Year.
Qatar SC gradually found their rhythm, and Ataa Jaber missed a golden opportunity in the 18th minute when his right-footed shot from outside the box narrowly missed the target. In the 34th minute, Carlinhos came close to scoring when his thunderous shot from outside the box, assisted by Ben Malango, missed by a hair’s breadth to the left.
Despite a couple of other opportunities for both sides, the first half ended 0-0 after an entertaining 45 minutes. Al Sadd had the first chance of the second half, with Giovani shooting two minutes after the break. However, his left-footed effort from outside the box was easily saved by goalkeeper Sataa Al-Abbasi.
Afif missed what was arguably the best opportunity of the match in the 69th minute, tamely directing his header from a precise cross by Paulo Silva into the waiting hands of the goalkeeper.
The deadlock was broken in the 83rd minute, albeit in an unfortunate way for Al Sadd. Saiss, attempting to clear the ball following a corner kick, inadvertently headed it into his own net, giving Qatar SC the lead.
A stunned Al Sadd immediately went in search of an equalizer, and Saiss appeared to have redeemed himself three minutes into added time with a stunning goal. However, the goal was ruled out for offside.
Al Abbasi made a crucial last-gasp save in the nine minutes of added time, denying Al Sadd’s Tareq Salman what could have been the equalizer as The Kings held on for a vital win.
Later, a 10-man Rayyan held their nerves to draw with Al Duhail. Rayyan’s Abdulaziz Hatem was sent off for a tackle on Almoez Ali in the 54th minute, leaving his team to play with 10 men.
Duhail pushed forward with several attempts to break the deadlock but was unable to find the net, as Rayyan’s defence held firm. The closest chance for a goal came in the 89th minute when Diallo fired a shot from the edge of the area, but Rayyan goalkeeper Sami Baladi was quick to make the save.
The match began with Rayyan creating early chances, including a shot by Egyptian Mahmoud Trezeguet in the sixth minute, which was saved by Al Duhail goalkeeper Salah Zakaria.
Al Duhail responded with a well-organized attack, with Edmilson Junior crossing to Kenyan Michael Olunga, whose powerful shot was saved by Sami Baladi and cleared for a corner in the 15th minute.