(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Fawad Hussain |
The Peninsula
Doha: Al Wakrah had produced one of their best performances at the QNB Stars League (QSL) eventually finishing third the last season, and it seems the Blue Waves are determined to spring more surprises in the new season.
Starting their campaign yesterday, the coach Marquez Lopez's side pulled off a stunning 4-2 victory against Hernan Crespo's Al Duhail – runners-up in the last edition – at the Education City Stadium to start season on a winning note.
On their way to earning full points against one of the title favourites, Al Wakrah had to overcome one-goal deficit twice, with Gelson Dala emerging as a star with two goals in the second half.
While Duhail had a better share of ball possession in the match, Al Wakrah were paid for their attacking approach in the match that saw them taking eight shots on target.
As expected the match got off to an exciting start but Al Wakrah suffered a setback when Murad Naji Hussein scored an own goal while trying to block a cross from Paulo Edmilson in the 15th minute.
However, Lopez's side bounced back in the 45th minute, with their new signing in Australian defender Trent Sainsbury heading the ball off a cross in the 45th minute.
Five minutes into the second half, striker Michael Olunga, who earned the top scorer title in the last season after scoring 24 goals, regained lead for Al Duhail heading the ball on target from a close range after a brilliant ball from Edmilson.
Dala put up a brilliant display to draw level again for Al Wakrah in the 54th minute, defeating a couple of defenders before slotting the ball past goalkeeper Mohammed Ahmed for his first goal of the match.
The Blue Waves took lead for the first time in the match when Al Duhail captain Luiz Martin Junior's challenge against Omid Amir Ebrahimi inside the box resulted in a penalty for Al Wakrah. Ebrahimi made no mistake beating the goalkeeper to take his team ahead in the 68th minute.
In the 90th minute, Dala sealed a 4-2 win for Al Wakrah after intercepting a pass near the halfway line, beating the lone goalkeeper with a quick strike from just outside the box.
Al Duhail coach Crespo was disappointed to start season with a defeat.
“Al Wakrah played a good game, but I feel that today we played against ourselves and did not take advantage of our chances,” said the coach.
“The first matches of tournaments usually have an unexpected result but many teams start to develop and achieve positive results after the opening match. We must continue to work hard and correct mistakes,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mohamed El Sayed scored an 86th minute goal as Al Shamal shocked Al Rayyan 1-0 in their first match of the season at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
Nicolas Cordova-coached Al Rayyan dominated the match with over 60 percent of ball possession but failed to create goal-scoring chances as Al Shamal, coached by Hisham Zahid, managed to secure a memorable win in their opening game.
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