(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
Doha: The reigning QNB Stars league champions Al Duhail yesterday outplayed Qatar SC 2-1 with the help of two brilliant strikes from Almoez Ali and Eduardo Rodrigues (Dudu) while strong Al Sadd were held by Al Khor in a goalless draw on the opening day of week 4.
At their home ground, yesterday, Dudu netted the opening goal for Al Duhail in the 12th minute while and captain Almoez made no mistake when he was awarded a penalty in the 39th minute.
Abdulaziz Adel scored Qatar SC's only goal in the 48th minute.
Al Duhail moved on to six points with their second victory in the new season while Qatar SC remained on three points following their third defeat.
Al Duhail opened the scoring as Dudu converted a through pass from Karim Boudiaf into goal following a faulty clearance by Qatar SC defender Alejandro Jimena.
Al Duhail dominated the exchanges and they succeeded in doubling the lead as Almoez converted a penalty, awarded when he himself was fouled by Nasir Baksh.
Other than the goals, Al Duhail's Ramin Rezaeian made a foray into the rival area early in the game, but the move was thwarted by Qatar SC goalkeeper Jassim Al Hail. At the other end, Jimena had a header saved by goalkeeper Mohammed Al Bakri.
Qatar SC reduced the margin not long after the second half started, with tall Abdulaziz Adel making good use of his height to head in a cross from the right by Nasir, who made up for his earlier lapse that resulted in the penalty goal.
Nevertheless, Al Duhail were more on the attack and Mehdi Benatia headed over the bar close to one hour.
It looked Qatar SC had equalised in the 85th minute when substitute Omar Al Emadi hit his shot against the crosspiece and Jimena's shot off the rebound was collected by the goalkeeper.
Al Duhail and Al Sadd have played one game less than the others due to their AFC Champions League commitments. The high-profile Week 3 clash will take place on Wednesday, at Al Duhail Stadium. The match will kick off at 18:45.
Meanwhile, in yesterday's second match, former champions Al Sadd were pushed to their limits by Al Khor, at Al Khor Stadium as the teams shared points.
The result means that Al Sadd increase their points tally to seven and remain in second place in the league table, with a game in hand.
Meanwhile, Al Khor, who are yet to win a game this season, increased their points tally to 3, with three draws.
Yesterday's match got off to a calm start at the Al Khor Stadium with neither side posing much danger early on. Eventually, Al Sadd settled into their groove and started to show their intent to score. In the 21st minute,
Guilherme sent a powerful shot at goal, which was parried by Al Khor keeper Baba Djibril onto the path of Rodrigo Tabata, who somehow failed to find the target from close range as he shot wide.
Two minutes later, Santi Cazorla fed Mohammed Waad with a great through ball, and the Qatari international finished past the keeper but the referee disallowed the goal. After a VAR review, Waad was adjudged to have been offside and the score was back to 0-0.
Cazorla then had a great chance in the 38th minute, when Pedro sent in a low cross from the right; however, the Spaniard's first-time shot was kept out by Djibril. In the 45th minute, Al Sadd strung together a great move with quick passes, at the end of which Tabata set up Cazorla with a backheel, but the latter's shot was deflected away from the box.
The teams went into halftime with the score still goalless, and after the break, Al Sadd resumed their efforts to find a breakthrough.
In the 57th minute, Xavi made his first change of the game, bringing on Baghdad Bounedjah to take Mohammed Waad's place up front. The Algerian was involved in a great move in the 64th minute, which saw him set up Al-Haydos who then squared the ball for Santi Cazorla; unfortunately, he was denied by a last-gasp block from Mosaab Abdulmajeed.
Xavi then made a double substitution in the 71st minute, sending on Yousuf Abdurisag and Ahmed Sayyar in place of Al Haydos and Tabata. Al Sadd kept up their efforts to score the opening goal, against a stubborn display from the Al Khor defence and goalkeeper. In the 74th minute, Pedro sent in a great cross from the right, but Djibril was in the right place to grab the ball.
In the final minute of stoppage time, Al Sadd were awarded a free-kick just outside the box, and Cazorla curled the ball over the wall, only to see it saved by Djibril. The referee blew the final whistle moments later, as the teams shared the spoils.
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