Bounedjah scores twice as Al-Sadd get past Al-Khor

Al-Sadd registered a narrow 2-1 win over Al-Khor in the QNB Stars League on Wednesday, courtesy a brace from Algerian striker Baghdad Bounedjah. The result took Al-Sadd’s tally to 29 points and kept the side in second place in the league table.

Bounedjah had opened the scoring in the 16th minute before Wagner’s 70th minute equaliser for Al-Khor threatened to deprive Al-Sadd of three points. However, in the 86th minute, Bounedjah popped up to score again and ensured the win for the Wolves.

The match kicked off to an energetic start from both teams, with a midfield battle ensuing early on. Al-Sadd’s Hamid Ismail had the game’s first real chance in the 9th minute, taking a powerful shot at goal from the right but Al-Khor keeper Mohammed Al-Bakri kept it out for a corner.

In the 16th minute, Bounedjah gave Al-Sadd the breakthrough after coolly finishing off a low cross from Hassan Al-Haydos. The Algerian was then involved at the other end, after being adjudged to brought down Al-Khor’s Wagner in the box. Diogo da Silva stepped up to take the resultant penalty but Saad Al-Dosari did well to save the effort.

Akram Afif almost put Al-Sadd 2-0 ahead at the stroke of halftime after dribbling past two defenders but his show went wide of the right post.

In the second half, head coach Jesualdo Ferreira made his first change, bringing on Khoukhi Boualem to replace Ahmed Bader Sayyar. Bounedjah fashioned a golden opportunity for himself in the 56th minute, after rounding the keeper, but his shot was blocked just in front of the line by Al-Khor defender Khaled Radwan.

Al-Khor then equalised in the 70th minute through Wagner, who dribbled into the box from the left and unleashed a powerful shot which went in past the diving Al-Dosari to make it 1-1.

After that goal, Al-Sadd pushed forward with renewed vigour and were duly rewarded in the 86th minute when substitute Jung Woo-young sent in a teasing cross which was headed in by Bounedjah, giving the Wolves a 2-1 win.

MATCH DETAILS

Al-Sadd x Al-Khor (QNB Stars League Round 5 – postponed game)

Venue:

Al-Khor Stadium

Lineups:

Al-Sadd XI: Saad Al-Dosari, Pedro Miguel, Tareq Salman, Hamid Ismail, Yasir Abubakar (Jung Woo-young), Salem Al-Hajri (Yousuf Abdulrazaq), Ahmed Sayyar (Khoukhi Boualem), Gabi, Baghdad Bounedjah, Hassan Al-Haydos, Akram Afif

Al-Khor XI: Mohammed Al-Bakri, Khaled Radwan, Mahdi Reza, Wagner Ferreira, Diogo Silva, Rebin Sulaka, Nayef Al-Buraiki, Hamad Mansour (Hilal Mohammed), Adel Ahmed (Ahmed Yasin), Mohammed Shabaan, Ahmed Salem

Result:

Al-Sadd won 2-1

Goals:

Baghdad Bounedjah 16, 86′

Wagner 70′

Bookings:

Adel Ahmed 24′

Khaled Radwan 32′

Baghdad Bounedjah 59′

Nayef Al-Buraiki 68′

Mahdi Reza 83′

Referees:

Match referee: Saoud Al-Athba
Linesman 1: Saoud Ahmed
Linesman 2: Jumua Burshid
Fourth official: Jabir Al-Atwi
Additional referee 1: Mohammed Al-Shammari
Additional referee 2: Jamal Hussain