Karl Toko Ekambi (left) and Salem Reda celebrate a goal against Al Sadd yesterday.
Doha, Qatar: Al Arabi thrashed Al Sadd 5-0, while Umm Salal blanked Al Duhail 3-0 in the 10th and final round of the QSL Cup yesterday, boosting confidence ahead of the knockout stage.
Al Arabi delivered a dominant first-half performance, taking a 4-0 lead at halftime against a second-string Al Sadd side mostly composed of U-19 and U-23 players.
Karl Toko Ekambi (fourth minute), Gerard Hernandez (19), Salem Reda (23) and Mohamad Khalid Gouda (35) effectively ended the contest, with Joao Pedro Daros sealing the rout in the second half at Al Khor Stadium.
Al Arabi finished the 20-team single-stage league round with 19 points, while Al Sadd ended at the bottom with just five points.
Meanwhile, Umm Salal boosted their chances of qualifying directly for the quarter-finals after strikes from Ali Afif (25), Cristo Gonzalez (37) and Abdullah Khalid Al Sheikh (87) at Grand Hamad Stadium.
They currently sit second on the table with 20 points, behind Al Rayyan, who lead with 25. The top two teams advance directly to the quarter-finals, while those ranked third to 14th will battle through knockout rounds for the remaining places in the last-8 stage. Muaither, Al Shahania and Al Markhiya – all on 17 points – are yet to play their matches.
The defeat confirmed Al Duhail’s elimination, as they finished the league stage on nine points.
At Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium, Qatar SC edged Al Gharafa 3-2 to secure their place in the knockout stage, taking their tally to 13 points. Sebastian Soria, Yan Matheus and Abdulrasheed Ibrahim gave Qatar SC a 3-0 lead in first half before Al Gharafa fought back with strikes from Rabeh Boussafi and Ibrahim Tamer, but they fell short. Al Gharafa ended the stage with five points.
Elsewhere, Yousef Zaid and Mohammad Ostadi were on target as Al Sailiya beat Al Ahli 2-1 to finish with 18 points. Younes Husein, who converted a penalty, was the scorer for Al Ahli, who remained on nine points.
The Round 10 action continues today with three matches: Al Markhiya take on Al Wakrah, Al Kharaitiyat face Al Shamal, and Al Waab meet Al Shahania.
