Umm Salal’s Ismail Mahmoud (not in picture) scores their third goal against Al Gharafa during the QNB Stars League Riund five match played at the Al Gharafa Stadium yesterday. Picture: Mohamed Farag
DOHA: Umm Salal fought back in style yesterday beating former champions Al Gharafa 3-2 in their round five clash of the QNB Stars League (QSL).
Mahmoud Almawas (28), Yannick Sagbo (44) and Ismail Mahmoud (48) scored the goals for Umm Salal at Al Gharafa Stadium. For the home team, Amro Seraj (36) and Wesley Sneijder (40) scored the two goals.
Al Gharafa captain Wesley Sneijder, leading the Al Gharafa team, kept the Umm Salal backline busy and tense with corner and free kicks in the next few minutes but the boys in white held firm to kill all the moves. In the 16th minute, Sneijder curled in a curling free-kick that sailed just inches past the Umm Salal goalpost with keeper Basel Zaidan beaten by the pace on the ball.
In the 28th minute, Umm Salal stunned Al Gharafa by producing the first goal of the match with a slick finish. Al Mawas, unmarked with acres of space, curled in from outside the box to beat Al Gharafa’s U-23 keeper Yusuf Hassan Ali with a pacy shot.
In the 36th minute, Al Gharafa produced the equaliser thanks to fast legwork from Sneijder. The former Dutch international weaved his way into the Umm Salal box but in an effort to take aim at the goal, he slipped. Amro Seraj, however, quickly recovered to fire a left-footed drive into the net. Four minutes later, Sneijder converted an easy penalty to give Al Gharafa a 2-1 lead. It was Sneijder’s third goal of the season.
A minute before the first-half whistle, Umm Salal captain Sagbo beat a couple of defenders for pace before he drilled one from the edge of the box to get his draw level at 2-2. It was Sagbo’s fourth goal of the season. Three minutes into the second half, Umm Salal jumped to a 3-2 lead after a bullet drive from Mahmoud from inside the Al Gharafa box.
Elsewhere, Al Ahli relied on a Mohsine Moutaouali double to beat Al Kharaitiyat 3-2 yesterday.
Moutaouali (35 and 78) and Magid Mohamed Hassan (45 + 3) scored the goals for Al Ahli. For Al Kharaitiyat, the goals were scored by Hamroun Jugurtha (56, penalty) and Mohammed Abdulraab Al Yazidi (70) at Al Ahli Stadium.
In the 35th minute, Al Ahli broke the deadlock with a slick finish. After lapping up a cross from the flank, Moutaouali launched a brutal drive from outside the box. The ball smashed into the goalpost but to the dismay of Al Kharaitiyat supporters, the ball went into the net.
In an effort to block the shot, Al Kharaitiyat keeper Ahmed Sofyan produced a full-length dive to his right but the angle of the ball beat him easily. It was Moutaouali’s first goal of the season.
Three minutes from the first-half whistle, Al Ahli defender Ali slipped in a near-perfect cross to team mate Ali Fereydoun who failed to deflect the ball into the net from close range with only goalkeeper Sofyan at his mercy.
Just when everyone thought both teams would walk off the pitch with Al Ahli leading 1-0 at halftime, Hassan made it 2-0 in injury time with a shot that hit the top of the net.
In the 56th minute, Al Kharaitiyat reduced the deficit when Jugurta converted an easy penalty, firing the ball to the left of Al Ahli keeper Yazan Naim.
Ten minutes later, Moutaouali unleashed a powerful drive from long range but this time keeper Sufyan blocked the shot. However, Al Kharaitiyat’s hard work finally bore fruit in the 70th minute. Substitute Al Yazidi flicked one above the heads of everyone in the Al Ahli box off an indirect corner kick for his side’s second goal.
In the 78th minute, Moutaouali put Al Ahli ahead for the second time in the match, this time finding the net despite being shadowed by three Al Kharaitiyat defenders.
