Duhail back on top with 2-1 win over Al Gharafa

Al Duhail bounced back from a goal down to beat Al Gharafa 2-1 and regain top position in the QNB Stars League yesterday.In another match, Al Sadd had to rely on the enterprise of Baghdad Bounedjah to get past Al Ahli by a similar margin.Al Gharafa scored through Sofiane Hanni in the 61st minute and Al Duhail brought the game level via Mohamed Muntari in the 66th minute before Paulo Edmilson completed the scoring in the 87th minute.With both teams set up offensively, a good game was on the cards and neither side disappointed with their attacking endeavours.Ahmed Alaaeldin broke free early on for Al Gharafa and should have opened the scoring when in on goal, but his shot was blasted over. Almoez Ali also saw a low-curling free-kick from the edge of the area parried to safety by the keeper in the frantic early exchanges.Al Gharafa had edged the opening stages based on chances and were unfortunate not to score when Alaeeldin flashed a dangerous cross into the penalty box and the oncoming Sofiane could not keep his shot down.Al Duhail started the second half on the front foot and thought they had scored when Yousef Msakni smashed the ball against the post before Ali Afif’s powerful rebounded strike demanded a great save from Qasim Burhan.Burhan was in action again moments later when Msakni broke free of his marker and lashed a shot which was saved in brilliant style.It was always going to take something special to separate these two teams and that moment arrived when Sofiane picked up the ball on the edge of the area before planting a low, right-footed drive into the corner, with the goalkeeper standing no chance of preventing the goal. The lead did not last long though when substitute Ismail Mohamed advanced down the right and his perfect cross across the face of the goal was met by the grateful Muntari to hit home.With more and more chances being created by Al Duhail, it was no surprise when they made the breakthrough in the dying moment as Edmilson latched onto a cross-field pass, controlled the ball perfectly, before striking in emphatic fashion to snatch all three points for his side. Earlier, Bounedjah scored in the 23rd and 32nd (penalty) minutes as Al Sadd moved on to 15 points. Abel Mathias scored for Al Ahli in the 48th minute.It was Al Sadd’s fifth victory from six games. The Wolves have played two games less due to their AFC Champions League engagements. Their fixtures against Al Arabi in Week 5 and Al Khor in Week 7 were deferred.Al Sadd had lost the other game 2-4 against Al Rayyan in the Qatar Clasico in Week 6.Al Ahli started off by shaking the Al Sadd net in the third minute, but the goal was disallowed as Abel was adjudged to have handled the ball while he was in the process of placing home a rebound from goalkeeper Saad al-Dossari.Al Sadd took time to settle down and once they did, they controlled the game to go into half-time with a two-goal lead.Al Sadd’s spearhead Bounedjah first found the mark through a volley with ease. The Algerian striker then converted a penalty, awarded after Al Ahli goalkeeper Ivanildo Rodriguez tripped Akram Afif inside the box.Bounedjah was guilty of missing a sitter in the 42nd minute when he, latching on to a long lob by Jung Woo-Young, chipped the ball over the bar with only the goalkeeper in front.Al Sadd’s Abdelrahman Moustafa caught the eye with his darting runs along the left. Other than them, The Brigadiers did not have much to show in the first half.However, Al Ahli could reduce the margin not long after the second half started, Abel placing home the ball in a goalmouth melee after Mohamed Diame set him up off a corner kick.The goal seemed to have boosted Al Ahli’s confidence as they attacked with vigour. Hernan Perez had a free-kick just about being parried over by the Al Sadd goalkeeper in the 65th minute.It was Hernan vs Saad al-Dossari again in the 78th minute, the latter blocking the former’s shot with his chest in a close one-on-one encounter and Al Sadd held on for yet another victory.