FIVE THINGS LEARNT FROM QSL ROUND 8

IMPACTFUL HAMROUN

Baghdad Bounejah may have emerged as Al Sadd’s hero after scoring a double against Al Arabi, but their best player arguably was his Algerian compatriot Jugurtha Hamroun. It was he who won the penalty in the second minute and later did the spadework for Xavi’s goal, which helped Sadd break the deadlock in the 84th and go on to win. Hamroun almost got his name on the scoresheet before that, but for a goalline save by Boualem Khoukhi. In a left-winger’s role, Hamroun was a treat to watch.

REDS HARDLY HOT

Al Arabi started the season with big ambitions, but their latest defeat against Al Sadd has pushed them to 12th in the 14-team table. They showed a lot of spirit before going down 2-3. Coach Edison Aguirre has a tough task of making them perform consistently in the competition. Injuries and indifferent form of players have been a major cause for concern. The Reds missed the services of injured defensive midfielder Ahmed Maksoud while Imoh Ezekiel was only used for a cameo. Forwards Paulinho and Wagner should improve their level by a few notches if they are to do well against big teams. Senegalese centre-back Mustafa Sall is yet to deliver and that is putting more pressure on Khoukhi.

UNSTOPPABLE CHEETAHS

Gharafa are giving hints of getting back to their best. The Cheetahs, who lost the first two matches — 2-4 against Al Ahli and 4-5 to Lekhwiya — steadied the ship by signing Ghanaian defender Rashid Sumaila. Pedro Caixinha’s men have not lost since and, more importantly, won four of the last six fixtures. Going by their current form, Gharafa should give champions Al Rayyan a run for their money when they meet on Saturday.

PUNCHING ABOVE WEIGHT

Teams lacking in motivation can look up to Muaither and Al Shahaniya. The promoted sides, with limited resources and player pool, once again showed their grit and determination with fighting displays. Muaither, who had won their previous three matches, held champions Al Rayyan goalless until the 77th minute before going down 0-1. Shahaniya fell behind 0-2 to Al Wakrah just before half-time, but they were not to be denied a point as they rallied for a draw. “Every match is a big challenge for us, but we know what our task is and how tough it is,” said Shahaniya coach Jose Fernando.

CLEAN SHEETS NEEDED

El Jaish coach Sabri Lamouchi had wanted a clean sheet while going into the match against lowly Al Kharaitiyat and he should be happy that they returned with a 1-0 win. Time and again, the Frenchman has expressed his concern about problems in their defence and set fixing them as his priority. Jaish are at the top of the league, but Lamouchi knows his team has to be solid at the back if they are to stay there. The Soldiers have scored 22, but let in 12, which is twice the goals conceded by Rayyan, who have the best defensive record so far.