(MENAFN- The Peninsula) fawad hussain |
The Peninsula
Ten-man Al Arabi held Al Gharafa to claim a 1-0 QNB Stars League (QSL) win and keep pressure on leaders Al Duhail at Thani Bin Jassim Stadium, yesterday.
Tunisian star Youssef Msakni scored the all-important goal converting a 38th minute spot kick as the Dream Team did well to stop Al Gharafa after captain Abullah Hassan Al Marafi was sent off for injuring an Al Gharafa player in 67th minute.
After a win in the postponed Round 10 game, Al Arabi consolidated their second place with 34 points – two points behind Al Duhail – while Al Gharafa (23 points) moved down to 6th place after the loss.
“I am happy with the victory because it was a difficult match and we played without some of our key players. The three points are important in the crucial stage of the league and it will motivate us more in our next matches,” Al Arabi coach Younes Ali said after the win yesterday.
“The team has been consistent but we should continue our hardwork until the last round to achieve the desired result,” the coach added.
After Al Arabi's appeal for a spot kick was turned down by VAR at half-hour mark, the Dream Team got a breakthrough when the pitch-side monitor confirmed Islom Khujaev's handball as he tried to stop Rami Suhail. Msakni made no mistake with his comfortable hit from the spot to put Al Arabi into lead.
Raoul Danzabe Sanda celebrates after scoring Qatar SC's third goal against Al Gharafa, yesterday.
After a few exchanges in the second half, Al Gharafa got a chance in stoppage time but Homam Al Amin missed the opportunity, hitting the shot wide. The Cheetahs made several more attempts in additional 10 minutes but Al Arabi held on to claim maximum points.
Qatar SC climb to fourth
Meanwhile, Qatar SC staged a strong fightback to beat Al Ahli 3-1 and jumped to fourth in the standings following their Round 10 tie yesterday.
Hossein Kanaani headed Al Ahli ahead after a 44th minute corner kick from Aboubakr Mohammed before Qatar SC bounced back strongly in the second half scoring three goals at Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium.
After Qatar SC made several attempts for a goal, Badr Benoun succeeded in bringing his team back in the contest in 72nd minute when he scored from a superb header following a ball from Bashar Resan.
Eisa Palangi handed Qatar SC lead five minutes later with a left-footed strike with substitute Raoul Danzabe Sanda scoring in 90+8th minute to wrap up the win.
After raising their tally to 26 with eighth win of the season, Qatar SC are now two points ahead of Al Wakrah, who slipped to fifth in the standings.
In other match yesterday, Adel Al Sulaimane (90+6 minutes) scored in stoppage time to help Umm Salal claim three points after a 1-0 win over Al Shamal at Thani Bin Jassim Stadium.
The final moments of the match also saw Al Shamal's Jassem Al Hashemi given marching orders.
Umm Salal moved to 13 points while Al Shamal stayed on 14 points following their ninth defeat of the season.