Doha: The second round of the prestigious Qatar Stars League (QSL) concluded on Saturday with football giants Al Rayyan topping the standing.
Al Rayyan, the former champions returned to the league after missing the last year’s edition. However, it was not just the Al Rayyan players who stole limelight in the second round by winning their second consecutive match, their fans by turning out in huge numbers also added spice to the second round.
The Lions were once again inspired by their fans in round two as they battled back from a 1 goal deficit to beat Kharaitiyat 2-1 in a close game.
The Peninsula reviews highlights of the second round.
Al Ahli, Umm Salal showcase strength
Al Ahli have so far drawn one match and won the other, the first match was against El Jaish, where they looked the sharper of the two teams. They also beat Al Wakrah last weekend and if new signing Firmin Mubele starts scoring they could become a top six team once again.
Salal won their first match against an underwhelming Al Khor side and managed to get a draw against title contenders Al Sadd away from home. The Orange fortress has new signing Sagbo to thank as the Ivorian was instrumental in both goals against the Wolves last weekend.
Great Xavi opens account
Al Sadd midfielder Xavi Hernandez scored his first goal in the Qatar Stars League in the second round. The midfielder has already set up many goals for his team-mates but on Thursday he opened his account with a classy side-footed finish against Umm Salal in the 63rd minute. Hassan Al Haydous provided the cut back from the left side of the box and the former Barcelona man made it look easy.
Defending champions Lekhwiya post first win
Last season’s Qatar Stars League Champions - Lekhwiya were made to wait until Round 2 to play their first game of the season after their Round 1 clash against Gharafa was postponed. The title defence therefore started with a home game against Qatar Sports Club who made it difficult, scoring the first goal of the game.However, the Red Knights had quality players to call on from the bench and Weiss who is coming back from a hand injury, scored the crucial goal which saw them go onto win the tie.
New signings come start well
El Jaish’s new signing Abderrazak Hamdallah has been the pick of the bunch with regards to new QSL players, the striker has scored three goals in two games. Other notable mentions are Paraguayan midfielder Victor Caceres with two for Rayyan and lastly Yannick Sagbo for Umm Salal. The Ivorian has scored two and has provided an assist in his match against Al Sadd as they secured a 2-2 draw.
Weiss scores goal of the round
Round 2 saw some cracking goals but Vladimir Weiss’s placed volley against Qatar Sports Club was the stand out goal of the weekend. Not only was the goal a thing of beauty but came at a crucial moment of the match. Until Weiss came on late in the second half, Lekhwiya looked to be struggling to break through the King’s defence. At 1-1, the next goal would almost certainly have wrapped things up for either side.
With just 9 minutes of normal time remaining, the Slovak winger finished of a great team goal.
Lekhwiya winger Ismael Mohammed played a clever one-two down the right with Kareem Boudiaf and then sent in a great cross which the unmarked Weiss took full advantage of with an amazing well placed volley (81’).
After the goal, Qatar Sports Club’s spirits were visibly broken as they were reduced to defending in their final third for the reminder of the game.
THE PENINSULA
