Al-Sadd drop points, draw 0-0 with Umm Salal

League leaders Al-Sadd suffered a jolt in their title race when they dropped two valuable points after a 0-0 draw with Umm Salal in the QSL Round 23 match played at the Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium on Thursday. Hassan Al-Haydos had a golden opportunity to win the game for the Wolves with a last-minute penalty but he missed it and the game ended in a goalless stalemate.

The result means that Al-Sadd temporarily remain top of the league with 54 points, one point ahead of Lekhwiya, who play on Saturday.

Al-Sadd seize the early initiative

The match began in an exciting fashion and the Wolves went on the attack from the very beginning, threatening the Umm Salal goal in the early minutes. Al-Haydos had a powerful shot at goal kept out by Umm Salal keeper Essa Shabaan in the 4th minute while Abdelkarim Hassan’s shot in the 13th minute went just over the crossbar.

More attempts from the Wolves

Al-Sadd kept up their efforts to get a goal with attacks from both wings and also from deep. In the 25th minute, Al-Haydos dribbled down the right and sent in a cross which was kept out by the Umm Salal defence, preventing it from reaching Baghdad Bounedjah. In the 38th minute, Bounedjah took a shot at goal from just outside the penalty box but it went wide of the right post.

Umm Salal defence stay firm

The scenario remained the same leading upto halftime, with all of Al-Sadd’s efforts to score thwarted by the Umm Salal defence. The referee went on to signal for two minutes of additional time before blowing the whistle for halftime, with the score remaining 0-0.

Great start to the second half

Al-Sadd picked up from where they left off and started the second half on the front foot. In the 50th minute, Bounedjah penetrated through the left but he was blocked by the Umm Salal defence. Abdelkarim then sent in a cross which was deflected out. Al-Sadd thus kept their hold on the match, dominating possession and controlling play from midfield but they were unable to pose any real threat.

Hamed, Hamza come on

Al-Sadd made two substitutions in one go in the 64th minute, bringing on Hamid Ismail and Hamza Al-Sanhaji in place of Hussam Kamal and Khalfan Ibrahim. In the 66th minute, Al-Haydos sent in a cross but Bounedjah was unable to deal with it properly and the ball went out of play. Then it was Al-Sanhaji’s chance to cross and this time, Bounedjah was able to meet it with his head but he saw his effort go slightly wide of the left post.

Al-Sadd keep attacking in the final minutes

The Al-Sadd players continued to press on in search of a goal during the final minutes of the match but were met by a resolute defence from Umm Salal. In the 85th minute, Al-Haydos saw his powerful shot go wide of the right post. Al-Sadd’s final substitution came in the 86th minute, with Jasir Yahya replacing Mohammed Kasola. Just a minute later, Al-Sadd had a golden chance to go ahead after Ali Asad’s shot got deflected and rebounded off the crossbar. Bounedjah went for the rebound but his headed attempt missed the target and went over the crossbar. After the referee signalled for six minutes of additional time, Al-Sadd were awarded a penalty in the final moments of the match. It was given after Ali Asad was brought down in the box. Al-Haydos stepped up to take the penalty but his shot rebounded off the right post. The referee then blew for full time, confirming a 0-0 draw.

MATCH DETAILS

Al-Sadd v Umm Salal (Qatar Stars League Round 23)

Venue:

Suhaim Bin Hamad Stadium (Qatar SC)

Lineups:

Al-Sadd: Saad Al-Dosari, Morteza Pouraliganji, Mohamed Kasola (Jasir Yahya), Abdelkarim Hassan, Hussam Kamal (Hamid Ismail), Xavi, Ahmed Sayar, Ali Asad, Hassan Al-Haydos, Khalfan Ibrahim (Hamza Al-Sanhaji), Baghdad Bounedjah

Umm Salal: Essa Shabaan, Ismail Ibrahim, Medhat Mostafa, Anderson Viera, Adel Alawi, Mahmoud Al-Mawas, Hilal Mohammed (Waleed Mohyeldin), Dheyab Al-Annabi (Ibrahim Ndiaye), Ali Mohammed, Omar Ibrahim, Salem Khalifa (Khaled Ahmed)

Result:

0-0

Bookings:

Omar Ibrahim 28′

Xavi 29′

Mahmoud Al-Mawas 35′

Ismail Ibrahim 39′

Ali Mohammed 50′

Hussam Kamal 54′

Anderson Viera 75′

Mohammed Kasola 83′

Referees:

Khamis Al-Marri (Main referee)

Taleb Salem (Linesman)

Saoud Ahmed (Linesman)

Abdulmajeed Al-Korbi (Fourth official)

Nayef Al-Qaderi (Additional)

Mishary Al-Shammari (Additional)