+ A
A -
Xavi and his team win Qatar Clasico 5-0
IKOLI VICTOR
Doha
Baghdad Bounedjah's scintillating hat-trick propelled Al Sadd to their biggest victory over Al Rayyan 5-0 in the Qatar Stars League El Clasico at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Wednesday.
The Algerian's effort took his goal haul to 14, two ahead of his nearest rival. Xavi Hernandez scored from a free kick while Hamroun Jugurtha's sublime lob completed the stunning result. It was Rayyan's biggest defeat in the El Clasico spanning over 36 matches in 12 years.
The result moved Al Sadd to second spot in the league with 24 points, just a point behind leaders El Jaish.
Speaking after the emphatic victory, coach Jesualdo Fereirra said:"I was not expecting this result but expected the victory. It was a great match for the players because they were concentrated all through the 90 minutes."
For Danish coach Michael Laudrup it was his worst defeat in Qatari football in his second spell, probably his second heaviest defeat in his coaching career. He had suffered a similar whitewash with Swansea by the same margin at Liverpool in the Capital One Cup final in 2013.
"The first half was very open and seeing the penalty from television it was outside the box. The second half began quickly and five minutes later a fantastic goal from Xavi and it was game over," said Laudrup.
"We are very disappointed with the result and hopefully we will bounce back. After a game like this it is time to receiver and not talk about the league title," he added.
Last season when Rayyan dominated all the teams, they still could not beat Al Sadd over four matches. Their last victory was in the 2012-13 season.
The game's first real opening was in the frame for Algerian midfielder Hamroun. His one-time strike from the edge of the box in the 23rd minute was an indication of what was to come for Rayyan.
As the game opened for both the teams, Rayyan were in the ascendant with an opportunity for dead ball specialist Rodrego Tabata to strike. But the mercurial playmaker seemed to have lost his magic as he struck the ball though on target but was never going to beat goalkeeper Saad Abdulla.
Just when both teams were preparing for the break, referee Saoud Ali al Athba called for a penalty when a Rayyan player handled the ball just outside the box. The controversial decision provided the opportunity for Bounedjah to score from six yards to give his side the lead. There was still one last act to the drama as Nathan Otavio's glancing header crashed to the bar from a Tabata free kick cross on the stroke of halftime.
The second half turned into a nightmare for Rayyan as they conceded in the third minute of the half. Bounedjah made it 2-0 from close ranage with the assist from Hamroun.
Hamroun's solo effort into goal was disallowed for a free kick advantage for Sadd. The consequence was a stunning strike from 20 yards by Xavi to beat Barry for Sadd's third goal in the 54th minute.
Hamroun capped a memorable game with a clever chip over Barry following a xavi pass in the 66th minute to make it 4-0.
Bounedjah completed his hat-trick with a thunderous strike to shake the net from inside the box on 74 minutes.
Scoreline: Al Sadd 5 (43’ B. Bounedjah (PG), 48’ B. Bounedjah, 54’ Xavi, 66’ J. Hamroun, 73’ B. Bounedjah) Al Rayyan 0
QSL Standings (The top five)
Club M W L D GF GA GD Pts
El Jaish 10 8 1 1 24 14 10 25
Al Sadd 10 7 0 3 30 12 18 24
Lekhwiya 10 7 0 3 31 17 14 24
Al Gharafa 10 6 2 2 25 19 6 20
Al Rayyan 10 4 2 4 15 14 1 16
