Competitive level in QSL is high, says Umm Salal’s Croatian striker Mance

DOHA: Umm Salal’s Croatian striker Antonio Mance is in full flow in this season’s Qatar Stars League.

The 29-year-old, who joined the club at the start of the season, has become a mainstay in Umm Salal’s attack in the league.

“I didn’t know much about football in Qatar before I came here. I knew that Croatian great Mario Mandzukic played in Al Duhail in the recent past. I followed some clubs and that’s how I ended up joining Umm Salal,” said Mance, who is the current joint second-best scorer with five goals.

Baghdad Bounedjah of Al Shamal is the top-scorer in the competition, which will restart from October 18 as most players are busy with their respective national team’s duties at the FIFA World Cup qualifier.

Umm Salal are currently fourth on the league table with 10 points from three victories, one draw and two defeats.

“I have played in Slovakia, Slovenia, France and Germany besides my native country. I came to Qatar from Hungarian club Zalaegerszegi. I’ve found that the sport in Qatar is different than that in Europe. But the competitive level is high here,” said Mance, current top-scorers in QSL Cup with four goals.

“Scoring goals gives me more satisfaction than winning titles,” he added.

Asked how he would carry Umm Salal’s expectations in the league, Mance said: “The team did well last season. I hope this season will be even better for us. My target is to score as many goals as I can and assist the team win.”

In the previous season, Umm Salal missed the sixth-place finish by a whisker as Al Duhail hung on to the sixth spot with a superior goal difference.