Al Sadd’s Cristo González celebrated scoring his team’s second goal in a thrilling match against Al Gharafa in the Ooredoo Stars League. The defending champions sealed a much-needed 4-2 victory, overcoming a fightback from their opponents. With strikes from Pedro Miguel, González, and Akram Afif in the first half, Al Sadd looked to be cruising towards a comfortable victory. But Al Gharafa bounced back with goals from Joselu and Yacine Brahimi, putting pressure on the champions. Captain Hassan Al Haydos secured the victory with a last-gasp goal, helping Al Sadd claim their third win of the season.
In another match, Anthony Hudson’s 10-man Al Arabi rallied to edge Younes Ali’s Al Rayyan 2-1, securing their first victory of the season. Al Wakrah also clinched full points by beating Al Khor 3-1, with Ricardo Gomes scoring a brace. Al Arabi’s Youssef Msakni and Marco Verratti played crucial roles in their team’s victory, with Verratti’s low drive in the left corner sealing the comeback win for Al Arabi. The victory moved Al Arabi up to eighth place in the standings, while Al Rayyan slipped to ninth after the loss in Younes Ali’s first game as their coach.
Returning to action after a defeat against the Red Knights, Al Sadd quickly established a two-goal lead with Miguel and González finding the back of the net early in the match. Afif extended the lead with a clever low drive from outside the box, but Al Gharafa fought back with goals from Joselu and Brahimi. Despite squandering an opportunity to extend the lead with a missed penalty, Al Sadd managed to secure the victory in stoppage time with a goal from Al Haydos after a counter attack. The win put Al Sadd in fourth place in the standings with nine points, while Al Gharafa slipped to sixth.
At Al Thumama Stadium, Achraf Bencharki fired Al Rayyan ahead with a goal in the 16th minute, but Al Arabi fought back with a goal from Youssef Msakni and a late winner from Marco Verratti. Meanwhile, Al Wakrah secured a 3-1 victory over Al Khor with goals from Gomes and Ayoub Assal. Gomes scored a brace in the match, helping Al Wakrah climb to second place in the standings alongside Al Ahli. With Al Duhail and Umm Salal also in action, the competition in the Ooredoo Stars League is heating up as teams vie for the top spots.
