Doha: A goal at the stroke of half time from Madson Formagini Caridade helped Al Khor to edge Mesaimeer in Round 23 of the Qatar Stars League (QSL) while Al Gharafa and Al Kharaitiyat played a one-all draw.
Yesterday playing at the home stadium, Al Khor struck at the fag end of the first half and held on to the lead till the end.
The Brazilian midfielder only goal of the match helped Al Khor to collect full points.
Al Khor now have 28 points while Mesaimeer are at the bottom with just five points. Meanwhile, champions Al Rayyan take on third placed El Jaish as part of a titanic double header between the QSL’s top 4 sides.
El Jaish are third in the table with forty points, only one point behind second placed Lekhwiya. The Soldiers have a packed schedule this month as they just defeated Uzbekistan’s Nasf on Wednesday and will strap on their boots once again as they face Al Rayyan in the QSL.
Sabri Lamouchi, the head coach of El Jaish is counting on his team to put a good performance against Rayyan after a disappointing loss to Al Arabi last week.
“Facing Al Rayyan means you’re facing the champions. We played in the AFC Champions League and now we need to focus on the QSL. We play many games in a small period. We didn’t have luck in our last game and we are working hard to make things go in our favour.”
“We like to give young players chances. Salah Al Yahri played in our last game and yesterday we played well with 2 young players,” added the Frenchman regarding the importance of youth talent at Jaish.
El Jaish have played eight games in the month and this makes Lamouchi change his teams around so that the players remain fresh.
“It will be a good game and an open game. Al Rayyan are hungry for this game and the reason I change my players around is because I don’t want them to be tired,” added the 44-year-old.
Al Rayyan, the champions with games to spare will use this match as preparation for the upcoming Emir Cup.
The Lions had a stalemate in their last game against Qatar Sports Club.
Coach, Jorge Fossati claims that his team is not relaxing even after winning the title,.
“In the last game each player was covering more than ten kilometers and one player even covered thirteen. This is not a team that is relaxing. This is a normal work rate for our players and it rivals European leagues.”
Elsewhere, last season’s champions Lekhwiya take on Al Sadd at the Al Sadd Stadium today in a battle for the Qatar Cup places.
Al Sadd are currently in fourth place with thirty-nine points only two points behind rivals Lekhwiya. A win in this match could help The Wolfs leap into the second spot in the league.
Jesualdo Ferrieira, Al Sadd’s coach is looking forward to spectacle which will excite the fans.
“We will face the champions of the last season in a tough game. I hope the fans will come and join us. Both teams have the highest level of professionalism in the league.”
He also highlighted the fact that big games like these are vital for the league.
“When big teams play big matches the level of the league will improve and I hope this game will exceed expectation for all the fans,” added the Portuguese tactician.
The Peninsula
