AL-SADD TOP THE TABLE AFTER DEFEATING AL-GHARAFA 3-0

Al-Sadd climbed to the top of the Qatar Stars League table after defeating Al-Gharafa 3-0 in the Round 18 match played on Friday at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium.
The result meant that Al-Sadd now have a tally of 43 points and top the table on goal difference, ahead of second-placed Lekwhiya, who have a played a game less.
Xavi opened the scoring for the Wolves in the 46th minute before substitute Hamza Al-Sanhaji scored a brace (66′, 87′) to complete the scoring.
Strong start for Al-Sadd
The match started with the Al-Sadd players going on the attack from the beginning and putting pressure on the Al-Gharafa defence from both the wings and also from deep. Full-backs Hamid Ismail and Abdelkarim Hassan sent in a number of crosses which were not dealt with properly by the forwards. In the 7th minute, Hamid played in a cross from the right which was kept out by the Al-Gharafa keeper Yusuf Hassan before it reached Al-Sadd striker Baghdad Bounedjah.
Saddawi attempts to score
Al-Sadd’s attempts to score continued as the half progressed. The Wolves were playing with a 4-2-3-1 system which saw a back four of Hamed Ismail, Pedro, Ibrahim Majid and Abdelkarim Hassan. In central midfield Salem Al-Hajri played alongside Mohammed Kasola while Jugurtha Hamroun, Xavi and Ali Asad formed the attacking trio. Baghdad Bounedjah was the lone striker. In the 25th minute, Abdelkarim crossed from the left and it was met by Xavi before the ball fell at the feet of Bounedjah. The Algerian striker shot powerfully but the keeper was able to put it out.
Penalty denied; Hamroun goes off
In the 28th minute, Ali Asad was brought down in the box but the referee Khamis Al-Marri denied Al-Sadd a penalty, despite the protests of the players. In the 37th minute, Bounedjah dribbled past Al-Gharafa defender Rashid Sumaila but he lost posession after a clearance from George Kwasi. Al-Sadd then made their first change of the match in the 40th minute, bringing on Hamza Al-Sanhaji in place of Jugurtha Hamroun. The referee then went on to blow his whistle to signal halftime, with the score at 0-0.
Xavi scores the opening goal
With the start of the second half, Al-Sadd managed to make a quick impression as Xavi went on to score just one minute after the restart. Ali Asad dribbled down the left wing after getting past three defenders and played in a low pass which was converted with aplomb by Xavi, making the score 2-1.
Al-Sadd domination; Hamza scores the second
The Al-Sadd domination continued after they took the lead, putting numbers in midfield. This was met by Al-Gharafa’s efforts to score the equalizer. In the 66th minute, Al-Sanhaji got Al-Sadd’s second goal of the match after a solo run which saw him get past Fuhaid Al-Shammari before finishing past Yusuf Hassan.
Jasir Yahya replaces Kasola; Hamza adds another goal
Al-Sadd went on to make their second substitution in the 75th minute after Mohammed Kasola was replaced by Jasir Yahya. Bounedjah almost scored the third goal for the Wolves in the 79th minute after a corss from Xavi was played in; he met the cross with acrobatic effort but it went over the bar. This was followed by Ali Asad’s shot in the 83rd minute which flew wide of the right post. The Wolves held on to their lead in the final few minutes with Al-Sanhaji adding a third goal in the 87th minute. The referee then blew his whistle to signal for fulltime, ending the match with
a 3-0 win for Al-Sadd.
MATCH DETAILS
Al-Sadd x Al-Gharafa
(Qatar Stars League Round 18)
VENUE:
Jassim bin Hamad Stadium
BOOKINGS:
George Kwasi 6′
Pedro 50′
GOALS:
Xavi 46′
Hamza Al-Sanhaji (66′, 87′)
REFEREES:
Khamis Al-Marri (Main referee)

Mohammed Dharman (Linesman)

Zahi Al-Shammari (Linesman)

Mohammed Shabeer (Fourth official)

Nayef Al-Qadri (Additional referee)

Abdullah Al-Athba (Additional referee)