Al-Sadd hit four past Mesaimeer to kickstart league campaign

Al-Sadd hit four past Mesaimeer to kickstart league campaign
13 Sep 2015
Al Sadd began the new Qatar Stars League season with a fine 4-0 win over Mesaimeer in the first round match which was held on Sunday at the Grand Hamad Stadium.
Korean defeder Lee Jung Soo headed Al-Sadd into the lead early in the first half before Brazilian striker Muriqui netted a hattrick with strikes in the 39th, 75th and 87th minutes to complete the 4-0 victory.
Great start for Al-Sadd; Lee opens the scoring
Al-Sadd started the match with an exciting offensive game with captain Xavi almost getting the first goal for the Wolves in the 5th minute itself; his half-volley went just wide of the right post. A Hassan al-Haydos shot rebounded off the same post just minutes later and Al-Sadd continued to put pressure on Mesaimeer until Lee Jung managed to break the deadlock in the 11th minute. The defender met a Xavi free kick with his head and scored the first goal of the season for Al-Sadd.
Continued domination from Al-Sadd; search for the second
The Saddawi domination continued throughout the first half and Mesaimeer goalkeeper Basil Zaidan was threatened on multiple occasions. At the other end, Mesaimeer almost got an equalizer when a Helio Pinto free kick was tipped on to the post by Al-Sadd keeper Saad al-Dosari. Rashid Mohammed tried to convert the rebound but Saad saved brilliantly to prevent a certain goal.
Muriqui adds the second
In the 39th minute, Brazilian striker Muriqui latched on to a pass in to the box from Hassan Al Haidos, and finised well to net the second goal for Al-Sadd. The referee blew for halftime minutes later and Al-Sadd left the pitch with a deserved lead.

· Exciting beginning in the second-half
The second half began with the same absolute control of the match from Al-Sadd and firm pressure on the Mesaimeer goal. In the 50th minute, Xavi sent a free kick high over the bar while Musab Khodr almost added a third goal after a successful incursion into the box he shot into the side-netting.

· Saleh replaces al-Haydos, Muriqui gets the third
Al-Sadd made their first change in the 64th minute when Hassan Al Haidos was replaced by Saleh Badr, who then played on the right wing. There was a decline in performance with the middle of the second half amids a high humidity, but Muriqui was able to get his second goal and the third for Al-Sadd in the 75th minute. When a blistering shot from Nadir Belhadj bounced down off the crossbar and on the line, Muriqui was first to pounce on it and hammer in the third goal for his team.
· Khalfan makes an appearance and Gasser replaces Asad
In the 75th minute, star midfielder Khalfan Ibrahim came in for defender Abdulkarim Hassan, after which Belhadj moved to the left-back position. Gasser Yahya replaced Ali Asad in the 82nd minute and five minutes later, Muriqui completed his hattrick with an easy finish after successfully breaking through the Mesaimeer defence. The match thus finished 4-0 to Al-Sadd, with the Wolves registering a great start to their campaign.

MATCH DETAILS
Mesaimeer v Al-Sadd (Round 1 of the Qatar Stars League)

Venue: Grand Hamad Stadium

Al-Sadd lineup: Saad Al-Dosari, Musab Khodr, Mohammed Kasola, Lee Jung Soo, Abdul Karim Hassan (Khalfan Ibrahim), Talal al-Baloushi, Nadir Belhadj, Xavi, Hassan Al Haydos (Saleh Bader), Ali Asad (Gaser Yahya), Muriqui.

Mesaimeer lineup: Basil Zidane, Mohammed Nouri, al-Haj Mohammed, Rashid Mohammed, Erivelto Emiliano, Helio Jose (Hermann Kakou), Osama Musa (Muhannad Adnan), Samir Abdul Rahman, Khaled Noureddine, Rafael Amorim, Abdulaziz Abdullah (Mohammed Mahjoub)

SCORE:

Mesaimeer 0 – 4 Al-Sadd (Lee 11*, Muriqui 39* 75*, 87*)

Referees

Abdulhadi al-Ruwaili (Referee)
Khalid Ayed (Linesman)
Abdullah Abdulrahman (Linesman)
Saud al-Athba (Fourth referee)
Khaled Bokezi (First assistant)
Mohamed Medhat (Second assistant)