Al-Sadd lose to Lekhwiya in top-of-the-table clash

Al-Sadd fell to their first defeat this season on Friday after losing 1-2 to Lekhwiya in the QSL Round 16 match played at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium.

After the end of their unbeaten run, Al-Sadd remain in second place in the league standings with 37 points.

Lekhwiya opened the scoring in the 16th minute through Nam Tae Hee before Ali Asad equalized for Al-Sadd in the 27th. The deadlock continued until the 89th minute of the game when Mohammed Musa scored the winner for Lekhwiya, who ended the game with 10 men following the dismissal of Luiz Mairton.

Exciting start

The match started off at an exciting pace with both teams looking to attack from the very beginning. Al-Sadd defender Abdelkarim Hassan had a great chance in the 8th minute when he struck a powerful shot from inside the box but the ball was gathered by Lekhwiya keeper Lecomte Amine. Lekhwiya’s reply came through Nam whose shot went wide of Al-Sadd’s left post.

Nam gives Lekhwiya the lead

In the 16th minute of the game, Lekhwiya took the lead when Nam finished off a pass from Almoez Ali who had dribbled into the box from the left wing. The Korean midfielder made no mistake and placed the ball to the left of Al-Sadd keeper Saad Al-Dosari to make it 1-0.

Ali Asad equalizes

Al-Sadd’s response didn’t take long and in the 27th minute, Ali Asad managed to find the equalizer. After Xavi floated in a free kick, Pedro tried to control the ball but it fell to Asad who finished from close range to make the score 1-1. Asad almost scored another in the 39th minute but his shot went over the Lekwhiya crossbar. The referee then went on to signal for halftime with the teams evenly matched.

Second half starts; Al-Sadd attacks

The second half began just as the first did and both teams tried to apply pressure on the other. Al-Sadd made many moves to penetrate through the defence, with the players attempting to move through the wings and from deep. In the 54th minute, Xavi almost scored with a free kick but his effort was kept out Lekhwiya defender Chico Flores, who cleared from the goal-line. Al-Sadd’s Algerian winger Jugurtha Hamroun then sent in a cross from the left but Hamza Al-Sanhaji couldn’t deal with the ball properly and it flew past the right post.

Saddawi advantage; Meshaal and Kasola come on

Al-Sadd continued to dominate in the match especially with the numbers put into midfield. The players were able to effectively put pressure on the opponent and move quickly from defence to attack. In the 68th minute, Xavi played a through ball to the oncoming Ali Asad, whose shot was saved by Amine with some difficulty. A few minutes later, Al-Sadd made two changes at once, bringing on Meshaal Al-Shammari and Mohammed Kasola in place of Hamza Al-Sanhaji and Salem Al-Hajri.

Amine denies Xavi

In the 78th minute, Xavi had another free kick attempt and this time, he was denied by Amine who kept the effort out for a corner. With the score still at 1-1, Al-Sadd then made their final substitution, replacing Hamed Ismail with Hassan Ahmed in the 88th minute.

Musa scores the second for Lekhwiya

One minute before the end of normal time, Al-Sadd conceded. After a corner was played into the Al-Sadd box, the defenders were unable to clear the danger and Lekhwiya’s Mohammed Musa was in the right place at the right time to put the ball past Al-Dosari, giving his side the lead. The referee went on to signal for five minutes of additional time but Al-Sadd could not find a way back into the game. The referee’s whistle followed, giving Lekhwiya a 2-1 win.

MATCH DETAILS

Al-Sadd x Lekhwiya

(Qatar Stars League Round 16)

Venue:

Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Al-Sadd Sports Club

Lineups:

Al-Sadd: Saad Al-Dosari, Pedro, Ibrahim Majid, Morteza Pouraliganji, Abdelkarim Hassan, Xavi, Salem Al-Hajri (Mohammed Kasola), Ali Asad, Jugurtha Hamroun, Hamza Al-Sanhaji (Meshaal Al-Shammari), Hamed Ismail (Hassan Ahmed)

Lekhwiya: Amine Lecomte, Mohammed Musa, Chico Flores, Khaled Muftah, Ismail Mohammed, Luiz Mairton, Nam Tae Hee, Karim Boudiaf, Mohammed Abdullah, Almoez Ali, Ali Afif

Result:

Lekhwiya won 2-1

Goals:

Nam Tae Hee 16′

Ali Asad 27′

Mohammed Musa 89′

Bookings:

Luiz Mairton 26′, 86′ Red card

Salem Al-Hajri 29′

Hamed Ismail 51′

Khaled Muftah 51′

Mohammed Musa 53′

Chico Flores 58′

Referees:

Khamis Al-Kuwari (Main referee)

Saoud Ahmed (Linesman)

Khaled Ayed (Linesman)

Ramzan Al-Nuaimi (Fourth official)

Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Additional referee)

Nayef Al-Qadri (Additional referee)