(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
Fawad Hussain
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The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: Al Duhail reclaimed their four-point lead in the Ooredoo Stars League (OSL) but head coach Christophe Galtier is not entirely satisfied with his team's performance in the title race.
The Red Knights staged a 2-1 comeback win over Umm Salal, who took the lead with a stunning 25-yard strike from Oussama Tannane in the 36th minute. Ismail Mohammed equalised three minutes later, while Abdullah Al Ahrak netted the winner in the 89th minute.
The victory pushed Al Duhail to 32 points at the top of the table, with Al Sadd, Al Gharafa and Al Ahli all trailing on 28 points.
“It was an important win as we managed to regain our lead after other teams narrowed it to just one point,” Galtier said after the match.
However, the French tactician was not fully satisfied with his team's showing against the Orange Fortress, who have now slipped to 10th in the standings.
“We secured the victory in the final minutes. The team created several chances in the first half but lacked the fighting spirit to recover the ball quickly. The opponents scored a wonderful goal,” he said.
“We were fortunate to score the equaliser, which gave us a morale boost to continue pushing. The changes we made ultimately led to the winning goal from Abdullah Al Ahrak,” Galtier added.
With eight matches remaining in the league, Galtier has urged his players to rectify their mistakes and improve.
“We are currently focusing on the match against Al Wakrah. We must correct the errors we made against Umm Salal. There were technical aspects where we fell short. We need to address those issues to approach the next match with greater confidence and control,” he stressed.
Al Duhail's next challenge against Al Wakrah is scheduled on Friday with the Blue Wave expected to give their best to move up in the standings after slipping to eighth spot following a 1-0 defeat to Al Shahania. Meanwhile, Moroccan star Hakim Ziyech expressed delight after making his debut for Al Duhail on Friday.
The international midfielder replaced Luis Alberto in the 80th minute against Umm Salal.
“I am happy to have made my first appearance for Al Duhail. It was a short period, but I am confident I'll gain rhythm step by step. Everything is perfect for me in Qatar, and I am delighted to be here,” Ziyech said.
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