DOHA (Qatar): Al Sadd thrashed Al Ahli 7-1 to stay at the top in the Qatar Stars League on Sunday.
Hashem Ali (fifth and 36th minutes), Rodrigo Tabata (13th), Akram Afif (30th), Santi Cazorla (45th), Nam Tae-Hee (58th) and Ahmed Sayyar (90+1) scored for Al Sadd, who moved on to 13 points with their fourth victory to top the table by surpassing Al Ahli.
Nabil El Zhar gave Al Ahli’s lone reply in the 54th minute.
The only time The Wolves dropped points was when they were held goalless by Al Khor in Week 4.
The result also broke Al Ahli’s all-win record that stretched to four matches. The Brigadiers remained on 12 points.
Al Sadd thus built on their 3-1 victory over strong title rivals Al Duhail in the midweek, in a match that was postponed from Week 3 due to both teams’ participation in the 2020 AFC Champions League.
Young Hashim, the only Under-23 player in Al Sadd’s starting XI, grabbed the opportunity with both hands by netting a brace.
Cazorla was again the livewire in Al Sadd ranks, pulling strings in the midfield with occasional forays into the goal, as they continued to miss striker Baghdad Bounedjah and goalkeeper Saad Al Dossari to injuries. And Meshaal Barsham rose to the occasion below the bar, while his Al Ahli counterpart Ivanildo Rodriguez had a harrowing time.
Akram too was in outstanding form as Al Sadd dominated possession, forcing Al Ahli to play the second fiddle.
Boualem Khoukhi was unlucky not to get into the scoring act as he hit his shot against the right upright.
