OSL: Five-Star Al Duhail Trounce Title Rivals Al Sadd To Extend Perfect Run

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Fawad Hussain | The Peninsula

Doha, Qatar: Al Duhail yesterday put up another ruthless performance thrashing arch-rivals Al Sadd 5-1 to claim fifth straight victory in an anticipated Ooredoo Stars League (OSL) clash at Khalifa International Stadium.

The Red Knights, who have now scored 18 goals in perfect start to the top flight, went five points clear of second-placed Al Ahli, who will meet Al Arabi at Al Thumama Stadium today.

Umm Salal jumped to third in the standings with a 4-2 victory over Al Shahania yesterday while Al Shamal climbed up to fourth in the table after a 2-1 win over Al Khor.

It was expected to be a nail-biter between the two title contende rs but Christophe Galtier's Al Duhail had put the game to bed early by scoring four goals in the first half.

Edmilson Junior fired his second successive brace with Michael Olunga and Homam Al Amin also scoring in the first session before captain Almoez Ali sealed the victory against Felix Sanchez-coached side in the second half.

Captain Hassan Al Haydos' goal late in the first half turned out nothing but a consolation for reigning champions Al Sadd, who slipped to fifth in the standings with six points and need a strong comeback in title defence.

"We could have scored more goals in the first half in which we had great control. Our penetration of Al Sadd's defenses was somewhat easy, and this would not have been achieved without with the full commitment of all our players," Galtier said after the win.

Al Shamal's Baghdad Bounedjah in action (left) and Umm Salal's Antonio Mance celebrates after scoring his second goal.

"There was a collective commitment from all the team members and full respect for the tactical plan that we prepared, as our defensive and offensive lines cooperated to present a first half with very high quality."

Yesterday, Olunga could have given a seventh-minute lead to Al Duhail with a spot kick but he failed to beat Al Sadd goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham, who dove to his right to stop the shot after Pedro Miguel conceded a penalty for a foul against Edmilson.

As Al Duhail continued to dominate, the Kenyan striker recovered from the missed opportunity to open the scoring in 13th minute, chipping in Karim Boudiaf's cross from near the penalty area.

Edmilson, who scored both the goals in 2-0 victory over Al Wakrah last week, doubled the lead in 28th minute with a low shot from the left into the far corner.

After assisting Al Amin for Al Duhail's third goal five minutes later, Edmilson made it 4-0 in 40th minute with a powerful hit into the side netting five yards from outside the box.

Al Haydos gave Al Sadd hopes of a comeback with a goal off a rebound in second minute of stoppage time before the break after Rafa Mujica's initial attempt was blocked by Al Duhail goalkeeper Salah Zakaria.

But it was not Al Sadd's day as Almoez, who squandered a couple of good chances earlier, finally found the target heading the ball past Barsham in the right corner from Boudiaf's chip in 56th minute.

At the Al Janoub Stadium, Antonio Mance scored a brace as Umm Salal twice rallied to beat Al Shahania for their third win from five games this season.

Alhassan Koroma handed Al Shahania the lead in 18th minute before Mance hit the leveler in 38th minute. Al Shahania went ahead again after Pelle van Amersfoort converted a penalty in 45+4 minutes.

But the Orange Fortress bounced back strongly with Victor Lekhal equalising in 58th minute before Mance scored his second goal eight minutes later. Oussama Tannane rounded up the victory in 75th minute as Al Shahania stayed on the bottom with two points.

Meanwhile, Baghdad Bounedjah (18th minute) and Mohamed Rafik Omar (78th minute) were on target for Al Shamal at Al Bayt Stadium.

Sofiane Hanni, who converted a penalty in 28th minute, was the scorer for Al Khor.

Today's marquee clash will be played between Al Rayyan and Al Wakrah at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium with Qatar SC facing Al Gharafa at Khalifa International Stadium.

YESTERDAY'S RESULTS
Al Duhail 5-1 Al Sadd
Umm Salal 4-2 Al Shahania
Al Khor 1-2 Al Shamal

TODAY'S FIXTURES
6:00pm: Al Rayyan vs Al Wakrah
at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium
8:00pm: Qatar SC vs Al Gharafa
at Khalifa International Stadium
8:00pm: Al Ahli vs Al Arabi
at Al Thumama Stadium

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