Umm Salal yesterday dominated proceedings to crush newcomers Muaither 2-0 in their Qatar Stars League (QSL) clash at Al Gharafa Stadium.
Playing in traditional orange, Umm Salal relied on second-half goals by Abdulaziz Mohammed Al Yahri (69) and Yannick Sagbo (80) for the hard-fought win.
It was sixth-placed Umm Salal's third win of the season.
After a predictably slow start - where both sides struggled to stitch threatening moves - Umm Salal picked up a bit of pace in the 21st minute when Al Yahri fired a bullet from close range but his shot was blocked by a Muaither defender though goalkeeper Basel Zaidan was thrown off balance on the goal-line. Two minutes later, a desperate Ali Mohammad Bazmandegan of Muaither opted for a long-range shot but his placement was off target as the ball sailed above the Umm Salal crossbar. With momentum on their side, Umm Salal once again created a bit of breathing space inside the Muaither box - this time Al Yahri chipping a lob ball over three defenders but his shot was quickly picked up by goalkeeper Zaidan in the 26th minute.
Three minutes later, Muaither's Aguiar Fortunato rammed into Umm Salal 'keeper Baba Malick resulting in a terrible mid-air collision that forced time out as both players sought medical help.Three minutes from the first-half whistle, Umm Salal's man of the match Al Yahri slipped past his marker Omar Abdul but his deflection from close range was swiftly nipped by goalkeeper Zaidan. In the 69th minute, Al Yahri scored his team's first and his second goal of the season to put Umm Salal ahead.
Lurking inside the Muaither box, Al Yahri made the most of a loose ball and fired a bullet between the legs of defender Abdul, aiming for the right of goalkeeper Zaidan to score his team's opening goal in the 69th minute. In the 80th minute, Umm Salal doubled their lead. Halal Mohammed - after dribbling past one Muaither defender - chose to slip the ball to unmarked Sagob who rifled a shot past goalkeeper Zaidan with consummate ease. It was Sagbo's sixth goal of the season.
