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Tribune News Network
Doha
QNB Stars League leaders Al Duhail on Sunday sailed to their seventh win of the season easing past Al Kharaitiyat with an 8-2 margin.
The Djamel Belmadi-coached side rarely looked in trouble in front of home fans. A hat-trick by Youssef El Arabi (18th, 31st and 87th minutes) was the highlight of their powerful show.
Captain Youssef Msakni (eighth and 85th) also showed good form and so did South Korean Nam Tae-Hee (83rd and 90th). Moaaz Ali Abdalla (39th) were their other scorers.
El Arabi and Msakni took their personal tally to 15 and eight goals respectively.
Rachid Tiberkanine netted Al Kharaitiyat's both goals, in the 48th and 54th. The first was a solo effort following a long run and the second came off a cross from Sanjar Tursunov.
Al Duhail wasted little time to settle down in the fast-paced match. Ever since Msakni opened their account, it was a matter of time before El Arabi got into the scoring act. After his second came off a flick from close, it was the turn of Moaaz Ali to net the team's fourth.
Al Duhail scored four more goals in the last seven minutes to complete their majestic win.
Al Duhail, who increased their tally to 22 points, are up against Al Sadd in a high-voltage encounter, while Al Kharaitiyat play host to Al Ahli in the next round.
Rayyan down Al Arabi 4-2
Al Rayyan had it easy against hosts Al Arabi, winning 4-2, in their Round 8 derby.
The Lions increased their tally to 21 points, but slipped to third place in the standings as Al Sadd, who defeated Umm Salal 4-1 in early kick-off, pipped them on goal difference.
Sebastian Soria (seventh minute), Rodrigo Tabata (32nd-min penalty), Abderrazaq Hamdallah (59th) and Gonzalo Viera (73rd) scored for Al Rayyan.
Defender Saad Natiq gave Al Arabi's both replies in the 71st and 85th, both through identical headed goals. The scoreline was not a fair reflection of Al Rayyan's domination in front of 2,336 spectators and it would have swelled had they converted more chances that came their way.
In Croatian coach Luka Bonacic's first match in charge, Al Arabi started without injured attacking midfielder Khalfan Ibrahim and they sorely missed him. To add to their woes, Syrian spearhead Mardik Mardikian went off the field injured halfway through the opening session and was replaced by Yousef Ahmed.
Play was mostly restricted to the Al Arabi area in the first half and Soria and Hamdallah took shots at will, with Tabata being the livewire in the midfield. Soria promptly gave Al Rayyan the advantage and Rodrigo Tabata doubled it by converting a penalty awarded after Al Arabi's Gaser Zakaria tripped Soria inside the box.
Some heated arguments followed between Soria and Al Arabi skipper Ammar Jemal. At times, the hosts' players struggled to physically match their opponents.
Al Arabi showed more alacrity after the break, but when the rivals upped the ante, their goalkeeper Muhannad Naim had a harrowing time. Hamdallah skied the ball twice in quick succession past the hour mark.
In Round Nine, it will be Al Rayyan vs Al Gharafa and Al Arabi vs Al Markhiya.
Al Sadd beat Umm Salal 4-1
Al Sadd picked up three points following a fighting 4-1 win over Umm Salal.
The Wolves' seventh win took their points tally to 21. They also moved from third to second position in the table on better goal difference than Al Rayyan.
Playing at home, Al Sadd were in deficit as early as the ninth minute through Jugurtha Hamroun's own goal. The Algerian midfielder, in an attempt to clear the ball with a header, ended up deflecting it into his own net after being chased by Umm Salal's Omar Yahya.
However, goals by captain Xavi Hernandez (39th), striker Baghdad Bounedjah (52th-min penalty) and Morteza Mohammed (84th) lifted their spirits.
Umm Salal goalkeeper Basel Zaidan unfortunately got on the scoresheet following an own goal a minute before the final whistle.
Xavi curled in a David Backham-style free-kick into the Umm Salal net to restore parity. It was the Spaniard's third goal of the season.
Then, it was the turn of Bounedjah to easily convert from the spot to make it 2-1.
Six minutes from time, Xavi provided Morteza with a long ball to head home with a well-timed deflection from close range. Towards the end, Jugurtha fired a bullet from the edge of the box and the ball went into the net after getting nudged back by Zaidan.
Al Sadd next take on Al Duhail, while Umm Salal play Qatar SC.
