The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: Al Wakrah yesterday defeated Umm Salal 2-0 while Al Ahli held Al Arabi to a 1-1 draw at the Expo Stars League (ESL) yesterday.
At Thani Bin Jassim Stadium, Al Wakrah went ahead with a spot kick from Mohamed Benyettou in 45+2 minutes with an own-goal by Umm Salal’s Marouane Louadni in 56th minute sealing their victory that propelled them to third place in the standings with 34 points.
They are even on points with second-placed Al Gharafa, who will meet Al Rayyan, who are fourth on the points table with 32 points, with both the sides eyeing win in tonight’s clash. Al Sadd are leading the standings with a six-points lead having defeated Muaither 4-2 on Friday.
Umm Salal slipped to eighth position following the defeat.
Meanwhile, Sekou Yansane scored the equaliser for Al Ahli nine minutes before time after Al Arabi went ahead with a goal from Youssef Msakni in 56th minute at Al Thumama Stadium.
Al Arabi stayed fifth with 23 points while Al Ahli improved one spot, jumping to seventh with 20 points after earning a point.
Meanwhile, Al Rayyan coach Leonardo Jardim is hoping to regain second place with full points against Al Gharafa at Thani Bin Jassim Stadium.
“We will face a strong competitor, who have the same goals as Al Rayyan and the two teams are having a wonderful season, better than last season, and are competing for second place in the Expo Stars League. So I expect it will be a big match for the team and we will fight to get the three points,” he said.
“Al Gharafa are an organised team in all aspects and they have a player who makes a difference, and he has a great season, using all the capabilities he has in order to appear in this strong image,” he added.
Al Gharafa coach Pedro Martins said: “The remaining six matches are finals for us. Al Rayyan have distinguished players, and we must avoid making mistakes against a team of this type, so as not to pay a heavy price, and be at the top of our focus. We must also implement our strategy on the field and if we do that we will certainly be the closest to victory.”
The other match today at Grand Hamad Stadium will see bottom side Al Markhiya facing Qatar SC, who are 10th in the standings.