Pedro Miguel (left) celebrates with teammate Rafa Mujica after scoring Al Sadd's opening goal.
Doha, Qatar: Al Sadd extended their lead in the Qatar Stars League (QSL) with a 3-1 victory over Al Wakrah at Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Stadium, marking their ninth consecutive win in the top flight.
The triumph took Al Sadd to 35 points, four clear of Al Gharafa and Al Shamal, who drew level on points after Al Shamal edged Al Gharafa 1-0 in yesterday’s other match.
Al Rayyan climbed to fourth place with 28 points, staging a 2-1 comeback win over Al Ahli.
Pedro Miguel opened the scoring for Al Sadd in the ninth minute, heading in a ball from Tarek Salman after Al Wakrah captain Lucas Mendes had struck the bar from a header off a corner.
Al Sadd goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham kept the lead intact, denying Redouane Berkane in a one-on-one situation, and the Cheetahs also escaped when Salman’s attempted clearance struck the post.
Yusuf Abdurisag missed a golden opportunity to level for Al Wakrah, firing wide from a promising position.
Al Sadd doubled their advantage just before halftime when Roberto Firmino finished from the left side of the box in the third minute of added time, converting a precise through ball.
In the 57th minute, Giovani drove from the right and set up Rafa Mujica for Al Sadd’s third goal, tapping in a back pass to extend the lead.
Al Wakrah’s Amine Zouhzouh pulled one back with a close-range header in the 72nd minute, but the scoreline remained 3-1, maintaining Al Sadd’s impressive QSL run.
“It was a tough match against a strong team, but we secured an important victory in our quest to retain the league title. We work hard in training and in every game to keep winning,” said Al Sadd’s Anas Abdulsalam.
“Our focus is on all competitions. Right now, we aim to maintain our lead in the league before turning our attention to the Asian tournament.”
Meanwhile, Pedro Martins’ Al Gharafa were beaten 1-0 by Al Shamal at Thani Bin Jassim Stadium, with Omar Rafik Mohamed scoring the decisive goal in 68th-minute.
The result moved Al Shamal into second place on goal difference, while Al Gharafa suffered their third straight league defeat.
Rodrigo seals win for Al Rayyan
At Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan came from behind to beat Al Ahli 2-1. Erik Exposito had given Al Ahli the lead in the 29th minute.
Al Ahli were also denied by an offside call on Suhaib Gannan’s second-half strike.
Al Rayyan launched their comeback in the 82nd minute when Aleksandar Mitrovic found the net, before Rodrigo sealed the victory in the 90th minute with a powerful running header from Gregore’s cross.
Al Ahli – placed 10th in the standings – stayed on 15 points.
The Round 17 of QSL will begin on Thursday.
