Al-Sadd lose 0-1 to Qatar SC in the QSL

Al-Sadd lose 0-1 to Qatar SC in the QSL
14 Feb 2016
A goal from the penalty spot consigned Al-Sadd to a 0-1 defeat to Qatar SC in a QSL Round 18 game played on Sunday at the Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium.

Emiliano Vecchio scored the lone goal of the match for Qatar with a 80th minute penalty. The loss means that Al-Sadd remain in 5th place in the league standings with 29 points.

Qatar start brightly, Al-Sadd show caution

Qatar SC started the match brightly and put pressure on their opponents from the beginning itself to score an early goal. They almost scored within the 10th minute when Argentine striker Emiliano Vecchio sent a shot that went just above the Al-Sadd crossbar. The Wolves tried to find the required balance between defence and attack as they looked to make an impression.

Competitive period of play, goal ruled out for Al-Sadd

The two teams fought it out in a competitive period of play midway through the second half without creating any real danger at either end. However, in the 23rd minute, Al-Sadd had a goal ruled out after Meshaal Al-Shammari was deemed to be in an offside position when he bundled the ball in. It was followed by Xavi taking a shot at goal from outside the box in the 25th minute, but the effort was kept out by Qatar SC keeper Mohammed Mubarak for a corner. Al-Sadd continued to put pressure on the Qatar goal with their movement from the wings by Musab Khodr and Abdelkarim Hassan and also with the penetration down the middle by the trio of Xavi, Ali Asad and Hassan Al-Haydos.

QSC defence and the crossbar deny Al-Sadd

Al-Sadd almost took the lead in the 37th minute with some great passing between Xavi, Asad and Al-Haydos before the ball reached Nadir Belhadj who shot at an unguarded goal but defender Mohammed Al-Rebei cleared the danger off the line. The Wolves maintained a complete domination over possession in the final minutes of the first half amidst an noticeable slump from Qatar SC. In the 42nd minute, Xavi fired a powerful shot which rebounded off the crossbar, denying Al-Sadd another deserved goal. A couple of minutes later, Al-Haydos had a chance but his shot was deflected out for a corner. The referee then blew the whistle to end a goalless first half.

Al-Sadd dominate the second half from the start

The second half kicked off with Al-Sadd continuing to dominate proceedings and in the 48th minute, Hassan Al-Haydos fired a shot from outside the penalty box which went marginally wide of the left post. The match then retreated to a competitive nature with Qatar SC also looking to make their mark and take the lead.

Nasser Al-Nasr comes on for Meshaal

Jesualdo Ferreira, head coach of Al-Sadd, made his first change of the match in the 61st minute when striker Meshaal Al-Shammari was replaced by Nasser Al-Nasr who plaed on the right wing of the attack. In the 66th minutes, Belhadj penetrated through the Qatar defence before shooting just wide of the right post and wasting another chance to take the lead.

Emiliano gives Qatar the lead

Al-Sadd continued to make attempt after attempt to take the lead but each time they were met by resolute and organized defending by a Qatar side which was relying on counter attacks. On 80 minutes, the complexion of the match changed after Qatar were awarded a penalty following a foul by Salem Al-Hajri in the box. Emiliano Vecchio stepped up and scored to give Qatar the lead. Al-Sadd then replaced Salem with Hossam Kamal and kept up their efforts to score a goal. But the equalizer never came even after four minutes of additional time and the match went on to finish 1-0 in favour of Qatar SC.

Qatar Stars League Round 18

VENUE: Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium, Qatar Sports Club

LINEUPS:

AL-SADD: Saad Al-Dosari, Morteza Pouraliganji, Pedro Miguel, Musab Khodr, Abdelkarim Hassan, Xavi Hernandez, Ali Asad, Nadir Belhadj, Hassan Al-Haydos, Meshaal al-Shammari (Nasser Ibrahim), Salem Al-Hajri (Hossam Kamal)
QATAR SC: Mohammed Mubarak, Shaheen Ali, Mohammed Salem, Rafik Halliche, Abdullah Alawi, Mohammed Omar, Han Kook Yong, Ali Al-Muhannadi (Ali Awad), Danilo Carando (Ibrahim Jamal), Fadhel Omar (Mousa Al-Allaq), Emiliano Vecchio
RESULT: Qatar won 1-0

GOALS:

Emiliano Vecchio (80th, penalty)

BOOKINGS:

Abdelkarim Hassan (24th), Pedro (45th), Meshaal Al-Shammari (60th) for Al-Sadd

Emiliano Vecchio (45th), Ibrahim Jamal (55th), Mohammed Salem (60th) for Qatar SC

REFEREES:

Khamees Al-Marri (Main referee)

Taleb Salem (Linesman)

Saoud Ahmed (Linesman)

Ahmed Al-Sayed (Fourth official)

Nayef Al-Qadri (Additional)

Abdulaziz Mousa (Additional)