Al Sadd goal fest sink Al Gharafa

Doha, Qatar: Al Gharafa were supposed to give Al Sadd a tough fight. Even though Wesley Sneijder was out injured, they still had big names such as Mehdi Taremi, Diogo Amado, Abdelaziz Hatem and Vladimir Weiss, and they were pushing for a top-four finish.???????

But Friday’s match at Al Gharafa Stadium was over as a contest within half an hour as Sadd had taken a 3-0 lead by then. And the 5-0 score-line at half-time was, to say the least, a humiliation for Al Gharafa who looked totally clueless against Sadd attack where Baghdad Bounedjah blazed his way to a first-half hat-trick and Akram Afif helped himself with a double.

Though Gharafa tried to come back briefly after Mehdi Taremi pulled one back from the penalty spot at the start of the second period, Sadd hit three more as Afif completed his hat-trick while Hassan Al Haydous and substitute Hassan Ahmad Palang also got on to the score sheet.

The win helped Sadd on 32 points put pressure on leaders Al Duhail (34), who will take on Al Rayyan in the late match. Gharafa meanwhile, are in sixth place with 18 points, five behind fifth-placed Al Ahli and in real danger of missing out on a top-four finish.

The goal fest started in the 19^th minute when Pedro picked Bounejah’s run into the open area behind Gharafa defence and the Algerian marksman beat Youssef Hassan with an emphatic finish into the far bottom corner.

After Sadd keeper Saad Al Sheeb made a superb save to deny Abdelaziz Hatem, Akram Afif put them 2-0 up in with a flawless finish in the 24^th after typically robust play from Gabi in the midfield.

Four minutes later it was 3-0 as Bounedjah nonchalantly finished off Hassan Al Haydous’ centre. There was a brief period of respite for Gharafa but Afif made it 4-0 in the 40^th with another lovely finish.

Then, in a rare attack from Gharafa, Abdelaziz Hatem gave Abdelkarim Hassan the slip in the left and made room for himself to unleash a powerful left-footer, but Al Sheeb again denied him with a fingertip save.

Sadd, who played a three-man defence with Abdulkarim and Hamad Ismail deployed as wing-backs, were having a field day inside the Gharafa half. But once again it was a long ball that caught Gharafa off guard and Afif, once again on clear, was felled inside the box by an ugly tackle from Yusuf Muftah. Referee Mohammed Ahmed Al Sherif pointed to the spot and Bounedjah sent Yousuf Hassan the wrong way to complete his hat-trick at the stroke of half-time.

Gharafa were provided a glimpse of a chance at redemption at the start of the second period when Gabi’s header intended for Al Sheeb was too short and the goalkeeper ended up conceding a penalty for a late challenge on Taremi. The Iranian’s audacious panenka hit the underside of the crossbar and went in.

Within a couple of minutes Weiss had a chance to make it two and make a match out of it, but he dragged his shot wide.

Seconds later Hassan lost his mind and pulled down Afif inside the box and the Qatar forward completed his hat-trick, slotting home the rebound after his initial penalty was saved by the Gharafa keeper.

Al Sadd slowed down considerably but they Al Haydous made it 7-1 in the 63^rd gently rolling Bounedjah’s [pass into an empty net.

Substitute Hassan Ahmad Palang made completed Gharafa’s misery with a fine finish from close range in the 86^th.