Tribune News Network
Doha
Al Wakrah beat Umm Salal 2-0 in their Week 18 clash of the 2023-2024 season Expo Stars League at the Thani Bin Jassim Stadium on Saturday.
The fiercely contested game saw Umm Salal resist hard against an attacking Al Wakrah before they conceded a penalty and later an own goal to suffer a reversal.
While Mohamed Benyettou scored from the spot in 45+2 minute, Umm Salal’s Marouane Louadni scored an Own Goal in the 56th minute as Al Wakrah made it home 2-0.
The win also swelled Al Wakrah’s tally to 34 points taking them to the third place in the rankings (with Al Gharafa second on goal-difference), while Umm Salal slid to eighth with 20 points.
The Blue Wave could have scored more but for their lack of finishing and Umm Salal’s good defence.
Al Wakrah made a challenging start and in the 10th minute Ayoub Asal came close to scoring but his kick went just wide to the right of the goal post.
Umm Salal then tried to make some forays but lacked incisiveness while Al Wakrah’s attempts were repeatedly foiled by the Oranje Fortress.
With both sides battling hard towards the close of the opening session, a kick from Al Wakrah’s Omar Salah hit the hand of Umm Salal’s Adel Alawi and the referee after a VAR check called for a penalty.
Benyettou struck firmly from the spot as Al Wakrah went up the lead.
The Blue Wave came out strongly after resumption and attacked the rival fort but Umm Salal’s goalkeeper Sami Beldi made some very good saves. First he evaded a Benyettou strike while guarding near the right post with his right leg and a minute later he held off a Lucas Mendes header off a corner.
In the 49th minute, Al Wakrah’s star Jacinto Dala made an attempt from the top of the box but it went to the left of the goal.
In the 55th minute, Umm Salal’s substitute Nasser Al Nasr made a strong kick but it went straight to the goalkeeper at the centre of the goal.
A minute later Al Wakrah hit back and Benyettou latched on to a rebound following the goalkeeper’s save and his kick took Umm Salal’s Marouane Louadni into the net as he tried to stop the ball.
Al Ahli score late to
hold Al Arabi
Al Ahli held Al Arabi to a 1-1 draw in their Week 18 match of the Expo Stars League at the Al Thumama Stadium on Saturday.
Yousef Msakni scored for Al Arabi in the 56th minute, before Sekou Oumar Yansané got the equaliser for Al Ahli in the 81st minute of the highly entertaining encounter.
With the result, Al Arabi now have 23 points, while Al Ahli have 20.
Al Arabi had the upper hand in terms of ball possession in the early minutes of the game.
But for all their possession, the goals were not forthcoming as anticipated, with the heroics of Al Ahli’s goalkeeper Marwan Badreldin between the sticks denying them the opportunity of an early goal.
The second half after a series of hit-and-misses, saw the deadlock eventually being broken in the 56th minute with Msakni powering home a glancing header, off a corner kick by Rafinha Alcântara to give the Dream Team the lead.
Al Ahli won a penalty in the 74th minute for a dangerous tackle on goal-bound Yansaneby Al Arabi’s captain Abdulla Al Marafi.
The penalty call was a subject of protest from Al Arabi, but after a very lengthy VAR review, it was made to stand, and Yansane, who got the spot kick initially saved, was on hand to slot in the rebound to restore parity in the 81st minute.
