DOHA (Qatar): Baghdad Bounedjah and Hassan Al Haidous scored a double as Al Sadd thrashed Al Arabi 6-1 in the Qatar Stars League (QSL) match, deferred from Week 5, at the Al Arabi Stadium on Monday.
Pedro Miguel (30th minute), Bounedjah (31st and 80th minutes), Al Haidous (35th and 55th minutes) and Akram Afif (76th minute) were the scorers for Sadd, who moved from fifth to third with 21 points, behind Al Duhail (30 points) and Al Rayyan (28 points).
Marc Martinez had earlier given Al Arabi the lead by scoring in the 10th minute.
Al Arabi, with 18 points, slipped from fourth to fifth position, behind Al Gharafa (20 points).
Al Sadd still have one match to play, against Al Khor, deferred from Week 7. It will now be played on January 21. These games were deferred owing to the AFC Champions League commitments.
Big boost for Xavi and Sadd
The result was a big boost for Al Sadd as they got their title-defending campaign back on track. On the other hand, it was a setback, particularly the big margin of defeat, for Al Arabi as they had blanked Al Ahli 3-0 in a Week 12 game played last weekend.
Sadd dominated the game, dubbed the Qatar Derby, with 62 per cent possession and, understandably, excelled in all departments.
Martinez puts Arabi in the lead
Martinez put Al Arabi ahead by placing home a loose ball, resulting from a long throw-in by Aron Gunnarsson, who returned from a long injury layoff in their win over Al Ahli in the previous round. But that was all The Dream Team could practically do as it was all Al Sadd then.
Al Arabi could have doubled the lead around the half-hour mark had Mohammed Salal El Neel connected an Abdullah Marafy cross from the right.
Pedro levelled the score by firing in a rocket shot, with Salem Al Hajri setting the stage.
Bounedjah made it 2-1 as he offered a first-time shot to a through pass from Gabi Fernandez.
Al Haidous capitalised on a faulty defensive clearance as the first half drew to a close with 3-1 on the scoreboard.
Al Sadd continued from they left off and Al Haidous scored their fourth and his second, heading in Akram’s cross. (QSL)
