Al Gharafa's Mohammed Muntari (left) celebrates with teammates after scoring the equaliser against Al Duhail.
Doha, Qatar: Mohammed Muntari came off the bench to help Al Gharafa snatch a 1-1 draw against leaders Al Duhail as defending champions Al Sadd blanked Al Wakrah 3-0 to climb to second place in the Ooredoo Stars League (OSL) yesterday.
Despite the draw at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium, Al Duhail maintained their four-point lead with Al Sadd replacing Al Ahli on goal difference after taking their tally to 15 points, thanks to a brace by Rafa Mujica.
Al Duhail were better against Al Gharafa in a cagey first half that saw both teams fail to register a shot on target.
Michael Olunga put Al Duhail ahead in 55th minute, netting from near the penalty spot after a low cross from Almoez Ali from the right.
Ten minutes later, goalkeeper Salah Zakaria preserved Al Duhail’s lead with a flying save from a dangerous shot by substitute Rabh Boussafi from outside the box.
Muntari, who replaced Ahmed Al Ganehi in 81st minute, took just six minutes to make an impact as he scored the leveler after a fine cross from Boussafi on the right flank three minutes before full time.
Fourth-placed Al Gharafa raised their tally to 12 points after securing a crucial point.
Meanwhile, Mujica broke the deadlock in 24th minute at Al Janoub Stadium, firing the ball from the edge of the box into the right corner after a pass from Mustafa Mashaal to give Al Sadd a lead.
Al Wakrah had a couple of shots on target in the first half but Al Sadd clearly dominated in the opening session, also enjoying a lion’s share of the ball possession.
They resumed in similar fashion after the break and Akram Afif doubled their just before the one-hour mark, chipping in a fine through pass from Cristo Gonzalez past goalkeeper Mohammed Albakri.
Mashaal set up Mujica again as the Spaniard scored his second goal four minutes before full time.
Al Sadd's Rafa Mujica celebrates after scoring a goal against Al Wakrah.
After Al Sadd veteran Hassan Al Haydos intercepted a pass in Al Wakrah’s half, Mashaal delivered a clever chip into the box, allowing Mujica to volley the ball into the top corner and cap off the win in style.
“It’s an important victory for us which will give us confidence both in this league and the AFC Champions League [Elite],” Al Haydos said after the win.
“We are aiming to do well in all our matches and our next focus will be a game against Al Rayyan,” he said referring to Thursday’s anticipated clash against the Lions.
The defeat pushed Al Wakrah down to sixth in the standings with 11 points.
Elsewhere, Al Arabi thumped Qatar SC 4-1 to register their second win of the season.
Al Arabi's Youssef Msakni celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against Qatar SC.
Youssef Msakni was the star for Anthony Hudson’s side scoring twice (15 and 68 minutes) while Rodri (36th minute) and Yazan Al Naimat (43rd minute) were also on target at Al Thumama Stadium.
Qatar SC benefited from an own goal by Jassem Gaber in the 63rd minute.
Sitting ninth in the standings, Al Arabi moved to 10 points with the victory while Qatar SC - 11th on the points table – stayed on seven points.
Results
Al Sadd 3-0 Al Wakrah
Al Duhail 1-1 Al Gharafa
Al Arabi 4-1 Qatar SC
