QSL: Bounedjah Leads Al Shamal To Win Over Al Sailiya, Qatar SC Down Al Ahli

Doha, Qatar: Baghdad Bounedjah powered Al Shamal to a hard-fought 2-1 victory over a spirited Al Sailiya side, while Qatar SC also maintained their winning streak in the Qatar Stars League (QSL) with a 2-0 triumph over Al Ahli yesterday.

Both clubs remained the only teams in the top flight to preserve their perfect starts, with Al Shamal edging ahead of Qatar SC in the standings by virtue of more goals scored.

At Al Bayt Stadium, Al Shamal dominated possession, though Al Sailiya enjoyed some promising spells on the ball.

The breakthrough came in the 26th minute when Alex Collado latched onto a precise pass from Mohamed Manai and calmly slotted home with a left-footed finish from near the penalty spot.

Al Sailiya responded in the 38th minute, with Diogo Fonseca Amaro rising high to head in a corner and level the score, sending both teams into the break tied at 1-1.

Bounedjah restored Al Shamal's lead in the 54th minute, latching onto a through pass from Omar Mohammed to tap in from close range past Al Sailiya goalkeeper Fahad Younis.

Al Shamal goalkeeper Babacar Seck displayed sharp reflexes to deny a dangerous effort from Youssef Snana, who was set up by Mathias Normann.

Snana later had a golden opportunity to equalise, finding himself one-on-one with Seck, but he fired wide from the centre of the box while aiming for the right corner.

Al Shamal came close to extending their lead late in the game, but Younis produced fine saves to deny both Collado a second goal and Naim Sliti.

However, Al Shamal's win ended on a sour note as Abdessamed Bounacer was shown a red card in the 10th minute of stoppage time.

Initially cautioned with a yellow, the decision was upgraded to red following a VAR review for a dangerous tackle on Youssef Snana.

“It was a hard-fought win against a strong Al Sailiya side,” Bounedjah said after the match.

“We stayed focused, controlled the ball, and earned three valuable points. It was our toughest match so far, but we're gaining experience with every game and deserve to be in the lead.”

Later at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Faiz Selemani opened the scoring in the 54th minute, slotting into the left corner from the edge of the box.

Joao Pedro Dos Santos doubled the lead for Marquez Lopez's Qatar SC in the 60th minute with a low drive from outside the box into the same corner, sealing the victory.

Both Al Sailiya and Al Ahli remained at the bottom of the standings following their third consecutive defeats.

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