Al Shamal handed Umm Salal a 5-0 defeat in the Qatar Stars League at Al Khor Stadium on Saturday, moving up to second in the standings. With 17 points, Al Shamal are now just behind leaders Al Gharafa, who have 19 points. Umm Salal, on the other hand, suffered their sixth loss of the season, leaving them in 11th place with only six points.
The match was a tough one for Umm Salal, with a series of misfortunes throughout. They were reduced to 10 men in the 88th minute after Diyab Haroon Taha was sent off for a foul on Baghdad Bounedjah. To make matters worse, two early goalkeeping errors handed Al Shamal a 2-0 lead. Al Shamal never looked back, adding three more goals to seal a dominant victory. They led 3-0 at halftime.
Alex Collado was instrumental in the win, scoring twice. His first came in the 11th minute when a powerful shot from him found the back of the net. Just seven minutes later, an unfortunate mistake from Umm Salal goalkeeper Jehad Mohammad Hudib allowed an own goal from Issoufou Dayo, making it 2-0. A third goal came in the 38th minute when Bounedjah pounced on an assist from Collado to score from close range.
In the second half, Collado added another goal, this time from outside the box in the 54th minute, his left-footed shot finding the left corner of the net. Just before the final whistle, Moufak Awad added a fifth goal in the 90th minute, following a blocked free kick from Bounedjah. Awad’s quick reaction saw him knock the ball over the line to complete the rout.
Umm Salal’s day was full of frustration, with a second-half free kick hitting the right post, their only real chance at a goal. Despite Hudib’s efforts to stop some of the shots, the team was unable to recover from the early mistakes and the sending-off.
In other action, Al Ahli defeated Al Sailiya 2-1 at the Grand Hamad Stadium. Julian Draxler’s brace (27th and 90+1 minutes, the latter a penalty) lifted Al Ahli to ninth place in the standings. Youssef Sinana scored the equaliser for Al Sailiya just before halftime from the penalty spot. Draxler’s second penalty sealed the victory for Al Ahli and handed them a vital three points in their bid to move up the table.
Both Al Shamal and Al Ahli now look ahead to their next fixtures, with Al Shamal seeking to keep their momentum as they chase the top spot in the league.
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