Muriqui leads Al-Sadd to 2nd spot after win over Al-Gharafa
Muriqui leads Al-Sadd to 2nd spot after win over Al-Gharafa
06 Nov 2015
Al-Sadd returned to winning ways again after getting the valuable three points in a 1-0 victory over Al-Gharafa in Round 8 of the QSL on Friday. Muriqui scored the lone goal in the 54th minute. This result puts Al-Sadd in second place in the league table with 18 points and trailing leaders Al-Rayyan who have 24 points.
At the Thani bin Jassim Stadium, both teams started with surprising caution with an increase in midfield presence. All routes to the attackers were closed before Muriqui managed to get a chance for himself in the 13th minute. Khalfan set up the Brazilian but his shot went just wide of the right post. Gaser Yahya then had an effort from outside the box for Al-Sadd but this time it went wide of the left post.
Al-Sadd played with a balance between attack and defence. The team played a 3-4-2-1 with Lee, Ibrahim Majid and Kasola in defence; Al-Haydos, Belhadj, Talal and Gaser in midfield; Xavi and Khalfan in attacking roles and Muriqui up front as the lone striker.
There were no more chances worth mentioning in the first half and at halftime, the score was 0-0. After the restart, the second half was felt to be similar to the first in that there were no opportunities for either team. In the 54th minute, however, Al-Sadd scored the first goal after a cross from Hassan al-Haydos was parried and put in the way of Muriqui who made no mistake.
In the 63rd minute, defender Mohammed Kasola was substituted after sustaining an injury. He was replaced by yongster Omar Yahya who went on to play in the left-back position. Nadir Belhadj moved to the defensive midfield position. As for Gaser Yahya, he returned to his right back position.
Al-Gharafa tried hard to get back to the equalizer but the Saddawi defence was able to clear the danger on each occasion. In the 77th minute, Al-Sadd had a dangerous chance to make it 2-0 but Khalfan sent the ball above the crossbar.
Al-Sadd continued to dominate the game, albeit with caution and a balanced team. Our team depended upon oranized attacking moves that featured quick counter attacks, especially in light of the pressure put on us by Gharafa in the 10 minutes. In the 85th minute, Khalfan Ibrahim was replaced by Nasser al-Nasr. After both teams failed to score in normal time and stoppage time and the match finished 1-0 to Al-Sadd.
atch details
Al-Sadd v Al-Arabi (Qatar Stars League Round 7)
Venue: Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium, Lekhwiya Club
Al-Sadd XI: Muhannad Naim, Ibrahim Majid, Lee Jung Soo, Mohammed Kasola (Omar Yahya), Nadir Belhadj, Talal al-Baloushi, Xavi, Gaser Yahya, Khalfan Ibrahim (Nasser Ibrahim), Hassan al-Haydos, Muriqui
Al-Arabi XI: Masoud Zeraei, Rod Fanni, Adel Lami (Dame Traore), Ali Jasemi, Musab Mahmoud, Boualem Khoukhi, Omar al-Emadi (M. Shabaan), Abdullah Mubarak, Paulo Sergio, Ashkan Dejagah, Junior Dutra (Abdulla Marafee)
Result: Al-Sadd 1-0 Al-Gharafa
Goals:
54* Muriqi (Al-Sadd)
Referees
Salman Falali (Main referee)
Zahi al-Shammari (Linesman)
Khaled Ayedh (Linesman)
(Fourth official) Saoud al-Athba
Asadal-Dh (Additional referee)
Nayef bin Abdulaziz (Additional referee)