Al-Sadd keep winning, defeats Al-Khor 1-0

Al-Sadd continued on its winning ways with a 1-0 win over Al-Khor in the QSL Round 9 game played on Friday at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium. The result lifted Al-Sadd’s tally to 21 points in the league table.

The lone goal of the match was scored by Xavi Hernandez in the 51st minute.

Strong start for the Wolves

The match began in an exciting fashion with Al-Sadd going on the attack from the start itself. Baghdad Bounedjah almost scored in the 6th minute when he connected with a cross by Abdelkarim Hassan from the left. However, his shot went wide of the left post. In the 9th minute, Jugurtha Hamroun then attempted a shot from outside the box, which went over the crossbar.

Al-Sadd attacks but without real danger

The Wolves kept up pressure on the Al-Khor goal but most of its attacks did not pose any real danger as Al-Khor increased its numbers in the defensive positions. Al-Sadd played with a 3-4-2-1 formation with a defensive trio of Morteza, Ibrahim and Pedro, and a midfield four of Xavi, Kasola, Hamed and Abdelkarim. In attack, Ali Asad and Jugurtha Hamroun played behind lone striker Baghdad Bounedjah.

Abdelkarim’s shot goes off the crossbar

In the second part of the first half, Al-Sadd tried to up their pressure with moves starting from the deep through Xavi and Ali Asad, and from the wings through Abdelkarim, Hamed and Hamroun. In the 38th minute, Abdelkarim Hassan came close with a powerful shot from the left which deflected off the crossbar before keeper Baba Djibril managed to hold the ball. The referee then signalled a minute of additional time before blowing the whistle for halftime, with the score at 0-0.

Al-Haydos replaces Hamed; Xavi scores

Al-Sadd made its first change of the match at the beginning of the second half with Hassan Al-Haydos replacing Hamed Ismail. Al-Haydos took up his position on the right wing while Pedro moved to right back. In the 51st minute, Al-Sadd took the lead through Xavi, who scored with a volley after a cross from Abdelkarim Hassan.

Khalfan comes on in place of Ali Asad

In the 66th minute, Al-Sadd made another substitution, bringing on Khalfan Ibrahim in place of Ali Asad. Two minutes later, Bounedjah wasted a golden opportunity to score a deserved goal. After a low cross from the right, the Algerian striker skied the ball from close range. A period of calm descended on the game from then on although Al-Sadd kept up possession in the middle while trying to attack through the wings and the deep.

Saddawi domination in the final minutes

Al-Sadd’s domination continued during the final minutes of the match, with multiple attacks at the Al-Khor goal via Hamroun and Bounedjah, as they looked for a second goal. In the 86th minute, Al-Sadd made its third and final substitution which saw Mohammed Kasola being replaced by Salem Al-Hajri. Khalfan then had a chance to score in the 88th minute after a solo run but his shot was deflected by the Al-Khor defence off the goal line. The referee then adjudged three minutes of additional before finally signalling for fulltime, giving Al-Sadd a 1-0 win.

MATCH DETAILS

Al-Sadd x Al-Khor

Qatar Stars League Round 9

Venue:

Jassim bin Hamad Stadium

Lineups:

Al-Sadd: Saad Al-Dosari, Pedro, Morteza Pouraliganji, Ibrahim Majid, Abdelkarim Hassan, Hamed Ismail (Hassan Al-Haydos), Ali Asad (Khalfan Ibrahim), Xavi, Mohammed Kasola (Salem Al-Hajri), Jugurtha Hamroun, Baghdad Bounedjah.

Al-Khor: Baba Djibril, Abdulrahman Mohsen, Sultan Al-Enezi, Mustafa Jalal, Musab Abdulmajid, Mouhcine Iajour, Baro Sidiki (Ali Abdelkarim), Madson Formagini, Redha Shanbeh, Majid Aman (Abdullah Mustafa), Welinton Silva (Abdullah Ayesh)

Result:

Al-Sadd won 1-0

Goals:

Xavi 51′

Bookings:

Ali Asad 22′

Sultan Al-Enezi 56′

Mustafa Jalal 90′

Baghdad Bounedjah 90′

Referees:

Abdullah Al-Athba (Main referee)

Jumua Burshid (Linesman)

Abdulmajid Al-Kurbi (Linesman)

Ali Faisal (Fourth official)

Abdulaziz Al-Enezi (Additional referee)

Nayef Al-Qadri (Additional referee)

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