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IKOLI VICTOR
DOha
Youssf El Arabi struck twice as Al Duhail maintained their perfect start with a 4-1 victory over Umm Salal at Thani Bin Jassim Stadium in Gharafa on Saturday.
El Arabi's double, took his tally to ten in five games, and a third from Nam Tae Hee and Youssef Msakni gave the coach Djamel Belmadi's side a four-goal lead going into the closing minutes before Bazman Khoubiari cut the deficit.
It is Duhail's fifth consecutive victory and the win returns the Red Knights back to the top of the table with 15 points after Al Sadd's 3-1 win over Al Arabi on Friday.
Both teams entered the QNB Stars League round-five unbeaten with their top strikers Sagbo and El Arabi scoring a hat-trick and a super hat-trick last weekend.
It was also Belmadi's first game after missing two matches due to suspension.
The game started on a quick note as the defending champions signaled their intention to collect maximum points when South Korean international Nam slammed the ball into Basel Zaidan's net from inside the Umm Salal box through Almoez Ali's assist in the fifth minute. Ivorian striker Sagbo's first sight at goal was a low shot that Baba Khalifa stopped with his leg in the 12th minute.
Umm Salal's penetrating passes in Al Duhail's vital area gave them the edge as the game presses on and their possession almost paid off when Almawas turned his marker in side out before firing a tame shot at Baba Khalifa from ten yards.
The Barzan Hawks continued to press forward in search of the equaliser as Sagbo combined with Rami Fayes whose effort was soft on target that was easily collected by Khalifa in the 25th minute.
Sagbo missed a glorious chance from close range when he blazed wide from Ebrahim's cross from the right flank, a position Umm Salal have utitlised well.
Al Duhail got a breather with their second goal of the game when El Arabi finished off Ali Hassan's pass five minute before the break. It was the Moroccan's ninth goal of the season.
The first half showed the both teams created chances with Al Duhail enjoying more of the possession. Despite Duhail's Baba Khalifa having to make five saves from Umm Salal's nine shots on target it was, however, the winning team who were more clinical in front of goal from the five chances created in the half.
The Mahmoud Jaber's tutored side started the second half purposefully with two successive corner kicks that saw Youssef Sekour heading wide.
El Arabi scored his second of the game from the penalty spot in the 68th minute after an infringement inside the box. Two minutes later, he turned provider for his skipper Msakni to bury the ball home for Duhail's fourth goal and his fourth of the season. The mercurial El Arabi was denied a hat-trick after his shot was cleared off the line in the closing minutes before substitute Khouabiari cut the deficit with a fine goal in the 87th minute.
Khalifa produced a magnificent to deny Sagbo a goal with the Ivorian unleashing a canon shot from about 30 yards. Duhail next face Gharafa, while is up against Al Khor.
Elsewhere, Meshaal Abdulla's brace and Yassine Chikhaoui's strike ensured Al Ahli defeated Qatar SC 3-0 to register their first win of the season. The result means they move from bottom of the table, now occupied by Markhiya.
