Al Duhail’s President H E Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani has praised the team and all members of the club following their QNB Stars League 2019-2020 title triumph, hoping for more achievements from the Red Knights in the future.
In his congratulatory message, the Al Duhail President said: “The team succeeded in achieving the league title despite all the difficulties. I congratulate the players and all my brothers in the club, and also the technical and administrative staff for this achievement.”
Al Duhail sealed the title on Friday after a 1-0 victory over Al Ahli, finishing their campaign with 16 wins, 4 draws and two losses. Al Rayyan finished second with 14 wins, six draws and a defeat while Al Sadd, the 14-time champions finished third.
Sheikh Khalifa said the management will continue to support the team and provide good atmosphere in which the players can compete with motivation.
“The management will always be close to the players and provide them with the atmosphere that motivates them to work strongly. Now our focus has shifted completely to the rest of the competitions before the start of the new season, as there is an important match waiting us in the semi-final of the Amir Cup, and also our matches in the AFC Champions league, and God willing, the team will achieve good results,” he said.
It wasn’t an easy sailing for Al Duhail during the season as they suffered injuries to their key players including striker Yousef Msakni, Assim Madibo and Bassam Al Rawi. The team also saw a change in management with Walid Regragui replacing Rui Faria as head coach.
Al Duhail Vice-President, Khalifa Khamis Al Sulaiti said the QSL title is a result of teamwork by all members of the club.
“ This season was not easy but the team remained determined and achieved the results we hoped for. Now all our focus is on the coming challenges,” he said.
Al Duhail’s Executive Director Adnan Al Ali said the team deserved to be crowned the champions because of their consistent performance despite the injury challenges.
Meanwhile, Al Duhail’s players were also ecstatic after lifting the Falcon Shield.
“We had one goal from the beginning, which was to regain the league shield, which was very difficult. Thank God for what has been achieved and I am happy with the team’s continued successes,” said striker Ismail Mohammed.
Al Duhail left back Sultan Al Breik said: “We deserved the title. I’m proud of my contribution as well as that of my colleagues towards winning the QNB Stars League shield during the 2019-20 season, which was a difficult mission.”
Mohammed Al Bakri said: “I am proud of the team’s success in winning the league title this season after a long and difficult journey during which we demonstrated our ability to emerge on top. The team played well in all other tournaments, be it domestic or AFC Champions League.”
