Al Arabi hit five past Umm Salal to go top

Doha, Qatar: Al Arabi continued their impressive start to the Qatar Stars League season with a 5-1 thumping of Umm Salal.

In the match played at Al Sadd Stadium on Friday, Arabi turned on the style after going down to an early goal from Yannick Sagbo.

Mohammed Salah Elneel, Aron Gunnarsson, Pierre Michelle Lassogga and Hamdi Harbaoui scored for Arabi, while their fifth one was an own goal from Adil Rhaili.

Arabi now lead the table with seven points from three matches while Al Sadd, who have played just two, are on six.

The Reds had been mighty impressive in their first two matches — a 3-1 victory against Al Ahli and a 1-1 draw against Al Duhail SC — and the confidence was showing in their game right from the start.

In the 13th minute Harbaoui chested down Elneel’s cross and acrobatically met in with a volley, but his shot hit the left upright and went out of play.

Arabi made all the early running, but the presence of Sagbo in the rival attack meant there would always be danger lurking as he showed in the 15th minute with a sharp run through the right.

Though Gergory Gomis thwarted Sagbo’s attempted cross, he was helpless in the 25th minute when the Ivorian got ahead of his marker to nudge home Hazem Ahmed Shta’s cross from the right.

Arabi managed to create more chances as Abdurisag’s curler dipping alarmingly towards the goal before being cleared by defender Joao Victor while Harbaoui and Lassogga also missed big opportunities.

But in the 41st minute, they got the equaliser through Elneel.

Gunnarsson, Arabi’s livewire in the midfield, was involved in the build-up before Abdurisag found space on the right to deliver a low cross that was met spectacularly by Elneel with a diving header.

Within five minutes they took the lead as Gunnarsson swatted aside the challenge of Omar Yahya and leapt high to head home Marc Muniesa’s corner from the right.

Arabi came back from the breather with more intent and within 10 minutes they sealed the game with two more goals.

Harbaoui scored the third in the 49th when he buried a ball from the left with a powerful right-footer while Lassogga made it 4-1 with a simple finish from close range after Abdurisag’s initial left-footer was saved by Naim.

Ten minutes later it was 5-1 when Musab Keder’s cross was nudged into his own net by Umm Salal defender Adil Rhaili to the loud cheer’s of Arabi supporters.

They had more to cheer as Khalfan Ibrahim, one of their all-time favourites, made a substitute appearance in the 66th minute.

Earlier, a last-minute penalty from Hernan Perez helped Al Ahli beat Al Khor 3-2.

Khor had taken the lead through Ibrahim Abmada in the 32nd minute only for Nabil El Zhar to equalise, also from the spot, in the 58th.

Abel Hernandez then put Ahli ahead in the 66th minute but Ahmed Hammoudan levelled the scores 10 minutes later.