Baghdad Bounedjah celebrates after scoring Al Sadd's first goal against Umm Salal.
Doha: Defending champions Al Sadd yesterday continued their unbeaten run as they blanked Umm Salal 2-0 on their home turf to consolidate their top spot at the QNB Stars League (QSL).
Striker Baghdad Bounedjah (15th minute) and Santi Cazorla (90+2) were the scorers as Al Sadd cruised towards retaining the title with 46 points from 16 matches and an unbeaten record after win in Round 18.
Spaniard Javi Gracia’s wards have two matches in hand – against Qatar SC (from Round 13) and Al Rayyan (Qatar Clasico from Round 14) – which were postponed.
Yesterday’s victory was Al Sadd’s 15th win as they were held only once, by Al Duhail 3-3 in Round 9.
On the other hand, Umm Salal, who were in outstanding form of late, suffered back-to-back setbacks as they had lost 1-2 to Qatar SC in Round 17.
Umm Salal stood on 25 points from 18 matches following their fifth defeat.
The match was exciting and Al Sadd were able to take an early lead through Bounedjah, whose strong shot from outside the penalty area rested in the far right corner of the Umm Salal goal. In fact, the Algerian ace capitalised on a defensive mistake committed by Umm Salal.
In the 29th minute, Umm Salal scored a goal through Abdulrahman Al Rashidi, but the goal was ruled out via VAR as his team-mate Yassin Bakhit was offside.
As the match progressed, Al Sadd asserted their supremacy, especially in the midfield.
Umm Salal dominated the match in patches in the second half, and Yassin Bakhit’s solo effort in the 57th minute was thwarted by Al Sadd goalkeeper Saad Al Dossari, conceding a corner kick.
Even as both teams tried hard for a goal, Al Sadd to ensure full points and Umm Salal to draw parity, Cazorla found the target in stoppage time to make it a comfortable victory for Al Sadd.
Later at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Al Duhail crushed Al Shamal 4-1, with Michael Olunga excelling again with a brace.
Olunga scored in 23 and 56 minutes with Nam Tae-hee (45’) and Edmilson Junior (61’) being the other scorers.
Al Shamal got a consolation goal through a penalty strike by Amjad Attwan in the third minute of stoppage time.
With the win, The Red Knights, consolidated their second spot with 39 points, eight points clear of third-placed Al Wakrah, who suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Qatar SC.
Bashar Rasan’s 54th minute spotkick ensured victory for Qatar SC, who climbed to 7th in the standings with 22 points.
Al Wakrah played with 10 man after Saoud Mubarak was sent off in 61st minute.
Yesterday’s Results
Al Sadd beat Umm Salal 2-0
Al Duhail beat Al Shamal 4-1
Qatar SC beat Al Wakrah 1-0
Today’s Fixtures
4:40pm: Al Sailiya vs Al Rayyan at Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium
6:50pm: Al Arabi vs Al Ahli at Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium
6:50pm: Al Khor vs Al Gharafa at Al Khor Stadium
