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Al Sadd beat Al Sailiya to go top of QSL standings

Doha, Qatar: Al Sadd were well below par but still managed to beat Al Sailiya 3-1 to move to the top of Qatar Stars League standings on Tuesday.

Baghdad Bounedjah and Akram Afif scored from the spot for Sadd while substitute Ali Asad also found the target.

Iranian striker Karim Ansari scored Sailiya’s only goal.

Earlier, Sadd took the lead unexpectedly in the eighth minute.

Boualem Khoukhi had suggested that he was fouled by Magdi Abdalla inside the box and was grimacing in pain after he tried to connect a cross from the right flank while the Sailiya captain and the rest of the players and even referee Khamis Al Marri thought he had just cleared the ball to safety.

But after at least a minute, the VAR wanted the referee to have a look at the incident. Al Marri took a while to check it before deciding it was indeed a foul and pointed to the spot.

Baghdad Bounedjah sent Khalifa ababacar the wrong way to put Sadd ahead.

That was Sadd’s only noteworthy shot on target in the first half in which Sailiya looked the team more likely to score. They had chances too and the first one came when Bilal Mohammed dispossessed Nam Tae deep in Sadd half only to miss the target.

In the 22nd minute, Bilal found Ahmed Al Menhali with a long diagonal ball to start another Sailiya attack but Ansari’s shot on turn after Sadd defence failed to clear a cross from the left did not have enough power or precision to trouble Saad Al Sheeb.

Al Sheeb, however, was lucky to see Ansari’s thumping shot cannon off the post minutes later.

Sailiya continued to show more slick passing moves in midfield and could well have equalised in the 45th minute had Boussoufa Mbark kept his composure inside the box. 

The Moroccan midfielder could have at least tested Al Sheeb with his header but he failed miserably in directing Ansari’s cross from the left goalwards.

Though Sadd took a goal lead into the half-time break, it definitely looked Sailiya would pose some challenges for Sadd in the second period unless Xavi’s men raised their game.

Sailiya spurned another glorious chance at the start of the second half as an off-balance Ansari fired his header wide of the target after a well-crafted move. 

Had Ansari left the ball, it was definitely a sitter for Abdalla, who had made a late dart into the box.

Mahir Yusuf then got the better of Sadd left-back Yasir Abubakar, but the Sailiya attacker failed sent his shot wide.

Xavi brought in Hassan Al Haydous in place of Hashim Ali at the start of the second half and it definitely added sharpness to the Wolves attack.

They came close to increasing their lead and Ababacar had to produce a fine save to stop Hamid Ismael who had sneaked through Sailiya defence.

And two minutes later Bounedjah’s penalty claims were waved off, Akram Afif got one in his favour after he was fouled by Magdi.

Afif took the penalty himself and easily beat Ababacar to make it 2-0 in the 80th.

After Sailiya’s Yusuf missed a sitter, sending his header wide from close range, substitute Ali Asad swept home Bounedjah’s cross from the right to make it 3-0 for Sadd in the 83rd.

But Sailiya scored in the very next minute as Ansari beat Sadd’s offside trap before firing the ball into the roof of the net.

Ansari though he had scored another goal five minutes later but referee reversed his decision after checking with VAR. The Sadd attacker missed another chance soon, firing his left-footer into the side netting with only the goalkeeper to beat.

On another day Ansari could well have had a hat-trick, but this was Sadd’s day even though they were nowhere near their best. And that’s an ominous sign for the rest of the teams as Sadd now have 12 points from four games.

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