Sadd’s Goal Parade and Gharafa’s late surge tilt the Qatar Stars League race

Matchday fireworks light up Round 9 in Doha

Two Qatar Stars League fixtures on the opening night of Round 9 delivered a festival of goals and moments of discipline as Al-Sadd returned to winning ways by routing Rayyan 5-1 at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium.

Meanwhile, Al-Gharafa beat Al-Duhail 3-1 at Thani Bin Jassim Stadium, with three red cards spread across the two matches, keeping the title race lively as the season unfolds.

After these results, Al-Sadd sit on 11 points in sixth place, Al-Gharafa move to 19 points at the summit, Al-Duhail stay on 11 points in fifth, and Rayyan sit on 13 points in fourth.

Red cards were handed to Rayyan’s Grigori Da Silva in the 19th minute, Abdulaziz Hatim in the 90th, and Al-Duhail’s Marco Verratti in the 77th, adding to the night’s tense atmosphere. Akram Afif was named Man of the Match for Sadd, while Josilo earned that honor for Gharafa.

Al-Sadd opened the scoring in the 12th minute through Brazilian Roberto Firmino, following a sharp build-up after a rebound from Rayyan’s goalkeeper. A VAR review led to a red card for Grigori Da Silva in the 20th minute, and Rayyan converted a penalty by Roger Gediis in the 37th minute to make it 1-1 for a while.

By the end of the first half, Sadd had reclaimed the lead with a well-worked strike from Khoki Boualem in stoppage time (45+10’). In the second period, Sadd extended their advantage to three goals with Afif teeing up Firmino for a curling effort from outside the box in the 55th minute, a goal that made the scoreline reflect Sadd’s dominance.

Despite a brief wave of pressure, the visitors could not halt the onslaught, and a late penalty converted by Rafael Mujica in the 74th minute sealed the fifth for Sadd. The final whistle confirmed a 5-1 victory and kept the title race alive as Rayyan watched from the bottom of the hunt.

Speaking after the game, Afif reflected on the win: “Congratulations to Sadd fans for this result, but the league table is still tough for us, and we won’t raise expectations too high.” He added that the team has a crucial Asian Champions League tie coming up and must stay focused, because “whatever our position, we are Sadd.”

In the other game, Al-Gharafa started with intent and tested Al-Duhail early through Josilo, while Verratti’s influence for Duhail was felt in moments but his side couldn’t convert the chances. Gharafa did take the lead via a headed finish from Sidou Sano in the 23rd minute, but Al-Duhail equalized through Luis Alberto just before the break (45+3’).

Gharafa regained the lead in the second half through Josilo at 55’, heading in from a right-sided corner. A late moment of drama arrived when Duhail were reduced to ten men after Verratti’s sending-off in the 77th minute, and Josilo completed his hat-trick with a late strike (90+3’) to cap a 3-1 win for Gharafa.

With four matches remaining in Round 9, the schedule pits more intrigue for fans, including Arab Club Championship hopefuls and domestic rivals. The weekend fixtures promise more drama as the race for the Qatar Stars League title tightens to a knife-edge finish.