In Ooredoo Stars League Round 3 opening match, our team secured their third consecutive win, defeating Umm Salal by a solitary goal in a match held at Khalifa International Stadium, which kicked off at 06:30 PM Doha time.
Coach Christophe Galtier opted to start the match with the following lineup:
(1) Salah Hassan (Goalkeeper) – (3) Lucas Di Silva – (5) Bassam Al Rawi – (7) Ismail Mohamed – (8) Edmilson Junior – (10) Luis Alberto – (11) Al Moez Ali – (12) Karim Boudiaf – (22) Ibrahim Kader – (24) Humam Al Amin – (27) Ibrahim Diallo.
While the following players started the match on the bench:
(96) Amir Katoul – (99) Shehab Al Laithi – (4) Mohamed Ayash – (6) Khalid Mohamed Saleh – (18) Sultan Al Breik – (20) Abdullah Al Ahrak – (23) Ahmed Al Sayed – (25) Mubarak Shanan – (29) Rashid Al Abdullah.
In the 33rd minute, our team made their first substitution as our professional player Edmilson Junior left the pitch due to an injury and was replaced by Sultan Al Breik.
The 39th minute saw another attempt from our players, with defender Lucas Di Silva meeting Ismail Mohamed’s header with an overhead kick that lacked the necessary power to trouble Umm Salal goalkeeper.
In the 41st minute, with a high degree of individual skill, our player Luis Alberto penetrated into Umm Salal defense, by passing several players on his way, only to conclude the attack with a powerful shot that narrowly missed the left post of Umm Salal goal.
Our team’s first attempt in the second half, specifically in the 47th minute, came from a powerful shot from outside Umm Salal penalty area by our player Ibrahim Diallo, which sailed over Umm Salal crossbar.
In the 49th minute, following continuous pressure from our players on Umm Salal goal, Umm Salal captain Victor Lekhal opened the scoring for our team with an own goal. He failed to clear Luis Alberto’s cross from the left wing, and the ball struck his foot and found the back of Umm Salal net.
In the 52nd minute, our team had another opportunity to extend their lead with a powerful shot from our player Ibrahim Kader, but his effort went harmlessly wide of Umm Salal goal.
Following a beautiful exchange of passes, Karim Boudiaf managed to add a second goal for our team, heading Ismail Mohamed’s cross into Umm Salal net. However, the goal was subsequently ruled out after a VAR review for offside, denying our team the chance to double their lead.
In the 65th minute, our team had a genuine goal-scoring opportunity when Ismail Mohamed, unmarked in front of Umm Salal goal, failed to convert Humam’s precise cross, missing a chance to extend our team’s lead. The same scenario repeated itself in the 75th minute, but this time, Umm Salal goalkeeper managed to parry Ismail Mohamed’s shot following another precise cross from Humam.
In the 82nd minute, thanks to a magical pass from Lucas Alberto, Ismail Mohamed came close to adding a second goal for our team, but his shot lacked the necessary power and was easily saved by Umm Salal goalkeeper.
In the 85th minute, our team had a clear-cut chance when Umm Salal goalkeeper saved Al Moez Ali’s shot. Two minutes later, another opportunity arose to add a second goal, but a backheel shot from our player Ismail Mohamed went just wide of the right post of Umm Salal goal.
The remaining minutes saw no further changes to the scoreline, and the referee Abdullah Al Adhba blew his whistle, signaling our team 1-0 victory and solidifying their position at the top of the Stars League with a perfect record of nine points after three rounds.
Goals:
- 49th Minute (Victor Lekhal own goal)
Substitutions:
- 33rd Minute (Edmilson Junior out – Sultan Al Breik in)
- 67th Minute (Karim Boudiaf out – Abdullah Al Ahraq in)
Cards:
- 71st Minute (Ismail Mohammed)
- 87th Minute (Bassam Al Rawi)
