Al Markhiya players celebrate after winning the match.
Doha, Qatar: A resolute Qatar SC edged out Al Shamal 2-1 while bottom side Al Markhiya thumped Al Ahli 4-1 on a night of surprises at the Expo Stars League (ESL) yesterday.
Placed seventh in the standings, Al Shamal had entered the Al Bayt Stadium as favourites but Qatar SC – ranked 10th – put up a brilliant show to claim their fifth victory of the season.
They went ahead with an angular left-footed strike by Bruno Tabata in the 23rd minute with Youssef Ali scoring their second goal off a rebound five minutes lataer. Al Shamal saw their lead reduced following Khaled Mahmoudi’s own-goal, who inadvertently headed the ball into his own net while trying to block a cross four minutes before half-time.
Al Shamal made several attempts to score but Qatar SC retained their lead to move to 19 points with Al Shamal staying on 21 points.
At the Al Thumama Stadium, Al Markhiya rode on Bashar Rasan’s brace as they produced a morale-boosting performance after Julian Draxler put Al Ahli ahead in 22nd minute with a strike from a close range.
Al Markhiya responded through Mohamad Khalid, who headed the ball into the left corner following a corner kick eight minutes later.
Rasan put them into lead in 44th minute by scoring from near the penalty spot with Dutch forward Naufal Bannis doubling their lead in 83rd minute. Rasan wrapped up the victory in 90th minute, scoring from the edge of the box.
Bruno Tabata (second left) is congratulated by teammates after he scored Qatar SC's first goal against Al Shamal yesterday.
Al Markhiya moved to 11 points, still three points behind 11th placed Muaither while Al Ahli slipped to ninth with 20 points.
Meanwhile, Al Rayyan will host relegation-threatened Muaither at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium tonight with a chance to climb up in the standings.
The Lions, who have 35 points, would jump to third position replacing Al Wakrah (37 points), who lost 2-4 to Al Arabi on Friday.
Al Rayyan coach Leonardo Jardim said the team must earn winning points in the match.
“Muaither are fighting to avoid relegation and it would be a tough match. We are aiming for more and not just the AFC Champions League berth this season, so we need to earn maximum points in our remaining matches,” said Jardim.
“We should give our best because winning against Muaither is very important for us,” he added.
In other crucial match, Al Gharafa will take on Umm Salal at Thani Bin Jassim Stadium eyeing to go level on points with Al Sadd, who suffered a 1-3 defeat to defending champions Al Duhail on Friday.
A win tonight will take the Cheetahs tally to 43 points but the Wolves are set to remain in lead with a superior goal difference.
“Normal preparations and everyone was working with high concentration during training, especially since everyone has great ambitions to achieve many things for Al Gharafa,” Al Gharafa coach Pedro Martins said at a pre-match press conference.
“The Umm Salal team has good players, especially in the front-line. I know many of them because they previously played in the Portuguese League. I would say to my players to be patient and fully focused, especially at that stage of the competition. What the players will offer is what will determine their fate in the league,” he added.
Umm Salal are currently ranked eighth in the standings with 20 points.
