Al Sadd players celebrate during their match against Al Ahli.
Doha, Qatar: The warning signs came just hours before Al Sadd began their Qatar Stars League title defence, with the champions announcing the absence of three key players – forward Rafa Mujica, midfielder Mohamed Camara and defender Abdessamed Bounacer – through injury.
But if the Wolves were dealt a blow, they responded in the manner of champions. They put on a commanding display against Al Ahli, brushing aside their opponents 3-1 to make a powerful opening statement in their bid to retain the title.
Akram Afif opened the scoring in the 11th minute at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, tapping in a precise lob from Pedro Miguel from close range.
Al Sadd could have scored in the fourth minute, but Giovani was denied by Yazan Naim, while Claudinho fired wide in the following action.
Naim kept the scoreline intact by blocking Giovani’s spotkick, diving to his right to deny Al Sadd a second goal in the 35th minute before the champions struck twice ahead of half-time.
Claudinho made no mistake with an angled shot from the right after Yusuf Abdurisag’s effort took a deflection off a defender.
Miguel then headed in a ball from Afif to give Al Sadd a commanding 3-0 lead before half-time.
Erik Exposito converted a spotkick in the 80th minute following Tarek Salman’s handball, but the goal proved to be a mere consolation as Al Sadd comfortably walked away with three points in their first match.
“It was a good start for us. It could have been great because we conceded one goal, but compared to our last two seasons, it is much better to start with a win and the first three points," said Al Sadd's Paulo Otavio.
“The mid-level game could have been better, but they were stopping it too much, which kept breaking the rhythm. This was the first week of the season, so I think everybody will learn and everyone will keep improving their level. We’ll have a good season ahead.”
Meanwhile, in yesterday’s first match at Al Bayt Stadium, Edmilson Junior scored a second-half brace to steer Al Duhail to a 2-0 victory over Al Sailiya in their first match of the season.
Al Duhail started brightly but were unable to break the deadlock despite creating several opportunities, including efforts by Almoez Ali and Sekou Yansane.
The Red Knights continued their domination over Al Sailiya in the second half, with the right post denying Almoez the opening goal.
Al Duhail’s attacking pressure finally paid off when Edmilson handed them the lead in the 62nd minute, slotting the ball into the right corner from just inside the box.
Edmilson struck again four minutes later, this time with a powerful left-footed effort following an assist from Mubarak Shanan.
Al Sailiya could have reduced the deficit in the 77th minute, but Anwar El Ghazi was unfortunate as his shot struck the left post.
Speaking after the match, Assim Madibo, who also represented Qatar at the recent FIFA World Cup, said he was happy to return to Al Duhail.
“I am happy to return to Al Duhail. It is my home.
“We hope this is the ideal start for the team. The journey is long, and this is one of the few times that Al Duhail have not made it to continental tournaments. We feel sad about that and we have a lot of work to do.
"We have young players and high-quality players, and we aspire to win the championship this season.”
