Survival at Stake As Al Khor Face Al Shahania in Must
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FOOTBALL | Page 3 GOLF | Page 7 Hazard fi res Johnson Chelsea title pulls out of charge, Spurs Masters with still in hunt back injury Friday, April 7, 2017 CRICKET Rajab 10, 1438 AH Pakistan captain GULF TIMES Misbah to retire aft er Windies series SPORT Page 4 FOOTBALL/ QATAR STARS LEAGUE Lekhwiya champions aft er QSL STANDINGS Teams P W D L F A Gd Pts Lekhwiya 25 19 5 1 77 31 46 62 Al Sadd 25 17 7 1 75 22 53 58 Al Rayyan 25 14 6 5 49 26 23 48 Nam strikes winner Al Jaish 25 13 6 6 44 38 6 45 Al Gharafa 25 12 4 9 42 41 1 40 Lekhwiya coach Djamel Belmadi: The victory was a culmination of our hard work and dedication. Umm Salal 24 8 9 7 28 32 -4 33 Al Kharaitiat 24 8 4 12 23 32 -9 28 We were confident when the season started and we remained confident throughout’ Al Sailiya 25 7 7 11 29 44 -15 28 Al Arabi 25 8 4 13 38 54 -16 28 he was attempting to claim in the air. Al Ahli 25 7 6 12 33 41 -8 27 By Sports Reporter Al Khor 24 6 6 12 23 33 -10 24 Doha The ball fell perfectly for the South Ko- rean who made no mistake and drilled Al Shahaniya 24 3 11 10 27 50 -23 20 it into the back of the next to give Le- Muaither 24 4 5 15 19 44 -25 17 oach Djamel Belmadi khwiya the lead, and along with it, the Al Wakra 24 2 8 14 26 45 -19 14 slumped to the ground in title. prayer after guiding Lekhwi- Cya to their fi fth Qatar Stars League title, and the third under his Sadd miss out QSL title with Al Sailiya draw charge, following a dramatic 2-1 win over Al Ahli at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium yesterday. Lekhwiya led Al Sadd by just two points and needed a win against Al Ahli yesterday at the same time hoping Al Sadd somehow slipped up. And that proved to be the case as Al Sadd were held to a shocking 2-2 draw by Al Saili- ya, a result that meant that Lekhwiya will fi nish top of the table no matter what happens in the last round of the tournament a few days from now. There was plenty of drama as the match appeared headed for a 1-1 draw, but with six minutes of stoppage time added, Korean Nam Tae-hee scored a last-gasp 95th minute winner to help Lekhwiya clinch the title. It was a just reward for Lekhwiya who lost only two matches in the QSL campaign and had been the most con- sistent team over the past few years, having earned the rare distinction of Al Sadd missed out on the chance though Nigerian winger Imoh Ezekiel. winning the title in their very fi rst year to lift their first QSL title in four years, Al Rayyan took the lead on the stroke in Qatar’s top fl ight in the 2010-11 sea- after drawing 2-2 with Al Sailya on of half-time through Qatar interna- son. Their other wins came in 2011-12, yesterday evening. With the Wolves tional striker Sebastian Soria. Winger 2013-14 and 2014-15 before the sealed dropping points, Lekhwiya grabbed a Abdurahman al-Harazi pushed their fi fth title yesterday. injury time winner to secure their fifth forward on the left wing and found “The victory was a culmination of our ever QSL crown. Soria who planted the ball past Arabi hard work and dedication,” said coach Al Sailiya took the early emphasis in keeper Rajab Hamza. Belmadi. “We were confi dent when the the tie, creating the first chance of Al Arabi pushed hard for an equaliser season started and we remained confi - note when Uzbeki forward Temurkhu- and both Paulinho and Luis Jiminez dent throughout,” he added. ja Abdukholiqov picked up a rebound had two golden chances to find a Al Ahli started the game well and off the feet of Al Sadd defender way back into the game. Eventually were gifted a chance with just four min- Mohamed Kasola before firing a fierce Al Arabi’s pressure tolled on the 52nd utes on the clock when Lekhwiya’s Kha- shot from the edge of the box. minute when defender Yousef Ram- lid Radwan played a shocking back pass In the 15th minute, Al Sadd captain adan whipped in a fine cross which to the goalkeeper. Al Ahli’s Ali Ferey- Xavi curled in a fine free-kick which fell to the feet of Nigerian striker Imoh doun pounced on the ball and smashed had Sailiya keeper Gregory Gomis Ezekiel who made no mistake from into the back of the net to give The Brig- well beaten, to give his side the lead. close range. adiers an early 1-0 lead. It was Xavi’s 10th goal of the season. The tie often boiled over at times and Lekhwiya soon settled after the early Barely a minute later, Al Sailiya scored the referee did well to control the shock and began dominating the cen- the equaliser after midfielder Sanjar players, who weren’t shy in putting in tre of the park. In the 31st minute, the Lekwhiya’s South Korean star Nam Tae-hee is congratulated by teammates after he scored the winning goal against Al Ahli Shaakhmedov found the back of the the heavy tackles. pressure paid off when they equalised yesterday. PICTURE: Noushad Thekkayil net. thanks to a stunning goal from Ismail Al Sadd sprung back into the life after Gharafa defeat El Jaish 2-1 Mohamed, his fourth this season. Spot- halfway line and latched onto the end of the goalkeeper and able to easily slot it chances. In the 61st minute, Al Ahli the equaliser and looked to take the In another match, Al Gharafa came ting a large gap in between Ahli’s centre a perfectly weighted 30 yard through- home to make it 1-1. were lucky not to concede a goal and lead as the first half came to an end. from behind and scored a stoppage backs, Mohamed made dash from the ball, which left him one-on-one with Lekhwiya continued to press for a their defenders were forced to make a Two minutes from the first-half, Sadd time winner to defeat El Jaish 2-1 in a second for the remainder of the fi rst half number of clearances off the line. defender Ibrahim Majid managed a thrilling encounter yesterday. but were unable to fi nd the back of the The Red Knights didn’t let their frus- snap-header that just flew over the Al After a goalless first half, hosts Al net again and it fi nished 1-1 at half time. tration get the better of them though Sailiya crossbar. Gharafa relied on goals from Othman Lekhwiya came out in the second and continued to press deep into in- Jesaldo Ferriera’s side came out in the al-Yahri and Almahdi Ali as the Leop- half with a lot more life in their legs and jury time. Then, on the 95th minute second half with renewed vigour, and ards picked up all three points. pressed from the whistle. But despite Nam Tae-Hee was gifted the ball in the pushed hard to take the lead again. All the action came in the second dominating possession, Lekhwiya were 18-yard box when Al Ahli’s goalkeeper Unfortunately Algerian striker Bagdad half when Othman al-Yahri opened struggling to carve out any clear-cut came off his line and dropped a corner Bounedjah saw his headed eff ort go the scoring for Al Gharafa in the 72nd just wide of the Al Sailiya goal. minute. Slick build-up play and a Against the run of play, Al Sailiya neat pass from Slovakian midfielder took a shock lead through Romanian Vladimir Weiss found al-Yahri who midfielder Valentin Lazăr. The January drilled a powerful shot into the back signing made a fine solo run before of the net from inside the penalty smashing the ball into the back of the area. net, for his sides second goal of the However, El Jaish regrouped quickly game. to produce the equaliser as Abdulqa- Al Sadd pushed hard to get back into dir Ilyas found the net barely a minute the match, and leading scorer Bagdad later. Ilyas hoodwinked his marker Bounjah duly found an equaliser on before firing a powerful shot from the 83rd minute. The Wolves rushed inside the box for his side’s first and to find a winner to keep their title only goal. hopes alive but time ran out on their Former champions Al Gharafa championship bid. pushed for a winner and duly scored a late goal in injury time through the Rayyan-Arabi draw head of defender Almahdi Ali who Meanwhile, Al Rayyan and Al Arabi had plenty of time and space to nod shared the spoils in a tame derby the ball into the back of the net from encounter at Al Sadd stadium. The a Vladimir Weiss corner. The win for Lions opened the scoring towards Al Gharafa gives the Cheetahs a tally the end of the second half, before Al of 40 points from 25 QSL games this Arabi fought back in the second half season. Coach Djamel Belmadi celebrates Lekhwiya’s winning goal and (R) off ers his thanks to God after the QSL title was confirmed.