2021-22 QNB Stars League - Week 7 highlights
A total of 18 goals were scored, and two of the six matches ended in draws at the end of the 2021-2022 QNB Stars League Week 7 fixtures held on Monday, October 25 and Tuesday, October 26, respectively.
The Al Ahli vs Al Arabi match, which ended in a 1-1 draw, highlighted the week’s action. The other drawn game was between Qatar SC and Al Wakrah (0-0).
Leaders and reigning champions Al Sadd beat Umm Salal 3-1, while Al Duhail defeated Al Shamal 1-0.
The two high-scoring matches saw Al Rayyan trouncing Al Sailiya 4-2 and Al Gharafa eviscerating Al Khor 5-0.
Al Sadd consolidated their position on top of the table with 21 points, while Al Duhail, Al Rayyan and Al Gharafa got back to the winning path.
Umm Salal, who fell to ninth place with five points, Al Ahli and Al Khor remained as the three teams still looking for their first victory in the league this season: Al Shamal are placed 11th and Al Sailiya last.
Kenyan striker Michael Olunga of Al Duhail is topping the goalscorers list with nine goals, one more than Al Sadd’s Algerian striker Baghdad Bounedjah.
Below are the highlights from the matches:
Al Gharafa 5 vs Al Khor 0
Date: Tuesday, October 26, 2021.
Venue: Al Gharafa Stadium
Al Gharafa rode on a hat-trick by Malian striker Cheick Diabate to defeat Al Khor 5-0 at the Al Gharafa Stadium on Tuesday.
Gabriel Pires (20th minute), Cheick Diabate (36th, 45+1 and 75th minutes), Muyad Hassan (43rd minute) scored for Al Gharafa.
It was Al Gharafa’s fourth victory and it raised their points to 12.
Meanwhile, Al Khor stood on four points after crashing to their third defeat. The Knights’ search for their first victory in this season’s tournament thus continues.
The big-margin victory enabled Al Gharafa to overcome the 4-6 loss to reigning champions Al Sadd in the previous round.
Al Khor, Al Ahli and Umm Salal, who lost 1-3 to Al Sadd in Tuesday’s early kick-off, are the only teams yet to register a victory in this season’s league.
Al Khor, who drew 2-2 with Al Ahli in the previous round with the help of two late goals, kept Al Gharafa goalkeeper Yousef Hassan on tenterhooks initially, but he was on alert.
After scoring all four goals in the first half, Al Gharafa took their foot off the pedal a bit in the latter session.
Al Khor’s Musaab Abdulmajid made an attempt at the goal in the 73rd minute.
Immediately afterwards, Al Gharafa rounded off their tally through Diabate’s hat-trick to register a convincing victory.
Al Rayyan 4 vs Al Sailiya 2
Date: Tuesday, October 26, 2021
Venue: Al Gharafa Stadium
Al Rayyan beat Al Sailiya 4-2 at the Al Gharafa Stadium on Tuesday.
Yohan Boli (49th and minute), Mowafaq Awad (71st and 89th minutes) and James Rodriguez (74th minute) scored the goals for Al Rayyan.
Substitute Ramin Rezaein (86th-minute penalty) and Ahmed Sebaie (88th minute) were Al Sailiya’s scorers.
Al Rayyan, who had lost to Al Sadd in tie-breaker in the Amir Cup final last Friday, moved on to nine points with their second victory.
Al Sailiya, who suffered their fifth defeat, remained on four points.
Both teams had their share of chances in the first half.
Soon after restart after a barren first half, Al Rayyan took the lead through Boli, whose header landed in the rival net.
Al Sailiya retorted, but Mustafa Mohammed mistimed his shot and the ball went out off a deflection in the 55th minute.
Meanwhile, Al Rayyan almost doubled the lead. However, Abdulaziz Hatem, after brilliantly evading an offside trap, had his volley crashing against the right upright, in a one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
From then on, Al Sailiya’s grip on the game gradually faded and Al Rayyan took advantage of the situation by scoring two goals inside three minutes.
First, Mowafaq came up with an opportunistic strike and then Colombian star Rodriguez struck his first goal in Qatar with an easy effort.
Towards close, Al Sailiya reduced the margin twice, through Ramin, who was spot-on with a penalty kick, and then Ahmed Sebaie.
Umm Salal 1 vs Al Sadd 3
Date: Tuesday, October 26, 2021
Venue: Al Wakrah Stadium
Al Sadd beat Umm Salal 3-1 at the Al Wakrah Stadium on Tuesday.
Umm Salal opened the scoring through Yaseen Bakhit in the sixth minute, but Al Sadd quickly turned things around by scoring almost at will.
Akram Afif (13th minute), Santi Cazorla (29th minute) and Andre Ayew (49th minute) found the net for Al Sadd, the newly-crowned Amir Cup champions.
It was Al Sadd’s seventh successive win this season and they now have 21 points, while Umm Salal stood on five points following their second defeat.
Al Sadd kicked off the proceedings with regular skipper Hassan Al Haydous and ace Algerian striker Baghdad Bounedjah on the bench.
Umm Salal underlined their intentions when Isael Barbosa found Bakhit with a neat cross inside the Al Sadd box. Bakhit dribbled past defender Pedro Miguel and slotted the ball into the net from close range to give his side an early lead.
Three minutes later, Afif aimed at the Umm Salal goal, but his shot from inside the box was blocked by a defender. However, Afif soon found success as he drilled a low shot past Umm Salal keeper Khalifa Aboobacker following an assist by Cazorla.
A minute before the half-hour mark, a Cazorla-Afif 1-2 saw the Spaniard expertly drill a low shot past the keeper with ease for Al Sadd’s second goal.
Four minutes into the second half, Al Sadd went 3-1 up when Ayew stretched out with his left foot to drive home from close range.
Qatar SC 0 vs Al Wakrah 0
Date: Monday, October 25, 2021
Venue: Al Arabi Stadium
Qatar SC and Al Wakrah shared points in a goalless draw at the Al Arabi Stadium on Monday.
It was the third draw for both teams after seven rounds. Qatar SC and Al Wakrah moved on to six and 12 points respectively.
After a slow start, the match picked up pace after the first 20 minutes. Al Wakrah captain Mohamed Benyettou, in the 23rd minute, overbalanced while going for a header from close range after a cross from Saoud Ibrahim Al Nasr. With an easy deflection to manage, Benyettou fell over and the header missed the goalpost to the left of keeper Jassim Al Hail.
Soon after the half-hour mark, Qatar SC’s Isaac Mbenza curled in a spectacular free-kick that sailed past the goalpost to the right of keeper Saoud Al Khater.
In the 56th minute, Al Wakrah’s Saoud Al Nasr found Dala wih a beautiful cross from the flank. Dala, stationed next to the Qatar SC goalmouth, failed to deflect the ball into the net missing by a few inches as the ball sailed away.
Around the hour mark, the tireless Benyettou curled in a neat shot towards the Qatar SC goal, but keeper Al Hail parried the ball above the crossbar.
In the 74th minute, Al Wakrah were reduced to 10 men when Dala was shown the red card following a rough tackle on Bashar Resan. Referee Khamis Al Marri used VAR review to make his decision.
With tension mounting on the pitch for both teams with each passing minute, the referee sent off Al Wakrah coach Marquez Lopez for constant arguments from the touchline.
Al Shamal 0 vs Al Duhail 1
Date: Monday, October 25, 2021
Venue: Al Khor Stadium
Al Duhail defeated Al Shamal 1-0 at the Al Khor Stadium on Monday.
Kenyan striker Michael Olunga scored the only goal of the match in the 54th minute through a penalty kick.
Al Duhail thus got back to winning ways after suffering their first defeat in this season’s tournament as they lost 1-4 to Al Wakrah in the QNB Stars League Week 5’s postponed match last Thursday.
The game was postponed due to the health measures that prevented Al Duhail players from participating in training and matches, as many of them and technical staff were affected with the coronavirus (Covid-19).
Al Duhail raised their points tally to 18 with six wins and one defeat.
On the other hand, Al Shamal stood on four points (one win, one draw and five defeats).
The match witnessed the expulsion of Edmilson Junior of Al Duhail in the 48th minute.
The first half was devoid of real opportunities to score.
After losing the services of Edmilson Junior through a red card soon after the start of second half, Al Duhail intensified the pressure through attacks by Almoez Ali, Ismail Mohammed and Olunga, while Al Shamal tried hard to defend their goal.
Al Duhail went ahead through Olunga’s penalty conversion after he was fouled by Al Shamal defender Yassin Yaqoub in the penalty area.
The remaining time failed to produce another goal and Al Duhail emerged as the winners.
Al Ahli 1 vs Al Arabi 1
Date: Monday, October 25, 2021
Venue: Al Arabi Stadium
Al Ahli and Al Arabi shared points following a 1-1 draw at the Al Arabi Stadium on Monday.
Abdulaziz Hazaa (42nd minute) scored for Al Ahli, while Yousef Msakni (84th minute) equalized for Al Arabi.
A series of hits and misses headlined the play for the first 40 minutes.
In the sixth minute, Al Ahli’s Jasem Mohamed, after a cross from Aldoukali Alsayed, got near the Al Arabi goalmouth, but his shot from close range flew above the crossbar.
Seven minutes on, Al Arabi’s Farshid Esmaeli, following a cross from Aaron Boupendza, got close to scoring, but his tap from close range was blocked by goalkeeper Ivanildo Rodrigues.
A few minutes later, Aldoukali fired a shot from inside the Al Arabi box, but his shot was blocked by keeper Sataa Al Abbasi.
Just before the half-hour mark, Al Arabi’s Aron Gunnarsson unleashed a long-range bullet that was caught by the rival keeper. The hits and misses continued as Al Arabi’s Boupendza curled in a direct free-kick, but his shot sailed above the Al Ahli crossbar in the 40th minute.
A couple of minutes later, Al Ahli got off the mark when Hazaa raced into the Al Arabi box unmarked from the left flank and tapped a long yet loopy cross from Jasem Omer straight into an empty net with an airborne left-footed drive.
In the 84th minute, Msakni produced Al Arabi’s equalizer with a snap-header from close range, sending the ball into the net with a short jump.
Two minutes from time, Soufiane Bouftini of Al Ahli received a red card, after his second yellow, for a rough tackle on Ahmed Fathi.
WEEK 8 FIXTURES
Saturday, October 30
Al Duhail vs Qatar SC
Al Shamal vs Al Khor
Al Arabi vs Al Rayyan
Al Sadd vs Al Ahli
Sunday, October 31
Al Sailiya vs Umm Salal
Al Gharafa vs Al Wakrah
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