Al-Sadd clinched a deserved 1-0 victory over Al-Rayyan in the postponed QNB Stars League Round 14 fixture, which was played on Tuesday at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium. Abdelkarim Hassan scored the lone goal of the game in the 26th minute.
The result saw the Wolves extend their lead at the top of the table, with a points tally of 59 from 21 games.
The match had got off to a slow start with neither side creating any concrete chance early on. Al-Sadd came close with a shot worthy of a mention in the 11th minute, when Yousuf Abdurisag had a go from outside the box, but the ball flew over the crossbar.
While Al-Sadd players attempted to control possession in midfield, they faced a high defensive line put in place by Al-Rayyan. Working through this, Javi Gracia’s side managed to fashion a few chances. In the 20th minute, Baghdad Bounedjah controlled the ball in front of Al-Rayyan’s penalty area and fired a strong shot, which was saved by goalkeeper Fahad Younis.
Then, in the 26th minute, Al-Sadd took the lead. Santi Cazorla played in a corner from the right, and the unmarked Abdelkarim Hassan met the delivery with a header to break the deadlock.
Following the goal, Al-Rayyan tried for a way to level the score but Al-Sadd were able to maintain their advantage.
The status quo remained for the remainder of the game, with Gracia refreshing his team with substitutes after the hour mark, bringing on Akram Afif and Guilherme Torres. Ahmed Sayyar, Andre Ayew and Abdulla Al-Yazidi also came on later to complete the five allowed substitutions.
The Wolves intensified their pressure in the last minutes of the game, looking for a goal that would kill the game off. Bounedjah almost got the elusive goal in the 79th, but his shot was pushed away by Fahad Younis for a corner kick. It didn’t matter, as Al-Sadd held on for the narrow victory which kept their unbeaten run going, with only one more game remaining in the league.
MATCH DETAILS
Al-Sadd x Al-Rayyan (QNB Stars League – postponed Round 14 game)
Venue
Jassim bin Hamad Stadium
Lineups
Al-Sadd: Saad Al-Dosari, Abdelkarim Hassan, Jung Woo-young (Guilherme), Tarek Salman, Mohammed Waad, Ali Asad (Akram Afif), Yousuf Abdurisag (Abdulla Al-Yazidi), Baghdad Bounedjah, Rodrigo Tabata (Andre Ayew), Santi Cazorla (Ahmed Sayyar), Musaab Khidir
Al-Rayyan: Fahad Younis, Ali Malallah, Shojae Khalilzadeh, Dame Traore, Yacine Brahimi, Abdelaziz Hatim, Hashim Ali, Naif Al-Hadhrami, Mohammed Juma, Yohan Boli
Result
Al-Sadd won 1-0
Goals
Abdelkarim Hassan 26’
Bookings
Jung Woo-young 9’
Ali Asad 16’
Musaab Khidir 55’
Tarek Salman 90’
Match Officials
Salman Falahi (main referee)
Saoud Ahmed (assistant 1)
Hamad Al-Ejji (assistant 2)
Hussain Al-Sayed (fourth official)
