2 days ago
Starting trouble: Al Sadd licking wounds after opening loss; Al Duhail keen on better showing
Vinay Nayudu
Doha
In what must have been a feeling of déjà vu for Al Sadd, the defending champions suffered a setback in their opening match of the new season of Qatar Stars League against Qatar SC losing 2-3 in their own backyard of Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Saturday.
The Wolves who had recently won the Al Ahrar Cup defeating Morocco's Wydad 5-4 on penalties at the same venue a week ago, appeared a bit rusty against Qatar SC. Al Sadd appeared slow off the blocks and lacked penetrating power which they usually display while trying to make a comeback in any game.
Interestingly, Al Sadd had a similar start the last season where they had gone down 1-2 to Al Shamal but only to bounce back with a 5-1 victory over Qatar SC in the next round.
On their way to the title last season, Al Sadd lost only 4 of their 22 games with only 1 draw result. The other three games Al Sadd lost were against Umm Salal (1-3 in Week 4), vs Al Duhail (1-5, Week 5) and against Qatar SC (1-0) in the second meeting of the league in Week 13. Their only draw came against Al Ahli 2-2 in Week 11.
So, Al Sadd do have this great ability of bouncing back and once they find the rhythm then there is no stopping the Wolves. And they would be certainly more than keen to hit back against Al Ahli in their next clash coming Thursday (August 21) at Al Thumama Stadium.
Yet, they would surely be reading into the reversal in detail. Al Sadd's coach Felix Sanchez had served a cautionary reminder to his team before the game against Qatar SC, perhaps knowing well that the opposition knew how to get the better of them. 'We remember last season, when we were unable to start with a victory. We know that we will face a team that has undergone many changes in the coaching staff and has added new players,' Sanchez had said before the clash. 'The first match is always important because a good start to the season is essential, especially for the defending champions.'
But a good start wasn't to be and Al Sadd's Moustafa Tarek Mashal, after the match, said, 'We tried hard but were unsuccessful. This is just the beginning. We will make up for it in the upcoming matches. There's no specific reason for the loss.'
Qatar SC's Nasir Peer Baksh was happy with his team's victory. 'We achieved an important victory at the beginning of the league,' he said. 'With the new technical staff, the three points will motivate us going forward. We must continue with the same spirit and performance.'
Al Duhail, who had come closer to clinching the title last season but ended up as runners-up, had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Al Shahania in their opening match of the new season.
The Red Knights had begun their previous season with a thumping 6-1 win against Qatar SC. And, they had lost 1-2 to Al Shahania in Week 6.
Like Al Sadd, the last season, Al Duhail also had lost only 4 matches out of 22 but had 2 drawn games, 1 more than Al Sadd. Which in the end meant that they lost the tile to Al Sadd by a difference of two points. Al Sadd had ended with a total of 52 points to Al Duhail's 50.
Al Duhail would hence know the importance of every point lost and gained. However, a draw is still a better result than a loss.
Speaking after the match against Al Shahania, Duhail's Bassam Al Rawi said, 'We were hoping to perform better. The league is long, and we can't judge our team based on the first match. Today, we had the same line up that beat Sepahan (in AFC Champions League preliminary match), but we didn't get the start we wanted.'
Al Duhail next play Al Wakrah on Saturday (August 23) at the Khalifa International Stadium and much like Al Sadd would like to make a telling comeback.
Meanwhile, Al Shahania's Spanish coach Santi Denia was proud of his team's show against Al Duhail and said, 'Our players showed great courage and fighting spirit on the field, and this gives us strong motivation to continue working.
'The point we earned today is extremely important. It gives the team confidence and confirms that we are capable of competing against any opponent.
'We need to improve our performance in both defence and attack, and we must focus more on set pieces and defensive coverage, as these small details often decide big matches.'
The Qatar Stars League is well and truly on!
