Doha, Qatar: Defending champions Al Sadd are eyeing a strong comeback after a surprise 3-2 defeat to Qatar SC in their Qatar Stars League (QSL) opener, while Al Duhail are also seeking improvement following a 1-1 draw with Al Shahania on Saturday.
Both title contenders endured a shaky start to their campaigns, with hot favourites Al Sadd stunned by a side that finished 10th last season.
At Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Qatar SC took the lead through Ali Saoud before Guilherme Torres pulled Al Sadd level. But goals from Said Mohammed and Joao Pedro gave the visitors a 3-1 cushion. Claudinho pulled one back late, but Felix Sanchez’s side couldn’t find the equaliser.
“We tried hard but were unsuccessful,” said Al Sadd’s Moustafa Tarek Mashal.
“This is just the beginning. We will make up for it in the upcoming matches. There’s no specific reason for the loss. Qatar SC had a strong start, and we must now focus on what’s ahead.”
Qatar SC, under new coach Marquez Lopez - who led Qatar to the Asian Cup title last year - are off to a promising start.
“We achieved an important victory at the beginning of the league,” said Nasir Peer Baksh.
“With the new technical staff, the three points will motivate us going forward. We must continue with the same spirit and performance.”
Al Duhail, fresh from their 3-2 win over Sepahan in the AFC Champions League preliminaries, also fell short of expectations in their league opener.
Pelle van Amersfoort gave Al Shahania the lead in the 24th minute, before Al Duhail captain Karim Boudiaf equalised with a powerful header in the 52nd.
“We were hoping to perform better,” said Al Duhail’s Bassam Al Rawi.
“The league is long, and we can’t judge our team based on the first match. Today we had the same lineup that beat Sepahan, but we didn’t get the start we wanted.”
Al Shahania coach Santi Denia was happy with his team’s performance.
“It was a tough match against a strong team, but our players showed great spirit. The point we earned is important and gives us motivation to keep working. We need to improve in both attack and defense, especially on set pieces. This result gives us confidence to compete moving forward.”
Elsewhere, Al Gharafa lead the standings after an impressive 4-2 comeback win over Umm Salal. Al Rayyan, who came from behind to beat Al Sailiya 3-1, sit second, followed by Al Shamal, who defeated Al Ahli 2-0. Qatar SC are fourth while Al Arabi and Al Wakrah share fifth after a 2-2 draw.
Round two kicks off on Thursday with Qatar SC facing Al Sailiya and Al Ahli meeting Al Sadd.
Friday will see Al Gharafa take on Al Arabi and Al Shamal face Al Rayyan, while Saturday concludes the round with Umm Salal vs Al Shahania and Al Duhail vs Al Wakrah.
