DOHA : The Doha Bank Stars League title race took a fresh turn after the 15th round of matches as defending champions Al Sadd moved to the top of the table, overtaking Al Gharafa.
Al Sadd made it eight straight league wins with a commanding 4-0 victory over Al Shahaniya, inspired by a hat-trick from star forward Akram Afif. The result lifted “Al Zaeem” to first place on 32 points.
The champions were also aided by Al Sailiya, who boosted their own survival hopes by handing Al Gharafa a surprise 1-0 defeat. The loss was Al Gharafa’s second in succession and dropped them to second place on 31 points.
Al Shamal kept pace in the title race with a 2-1 win over Al Arabi, maintaining pressure on the top two.
Al Rayyan remained fourth on 25 points after a dramatic 3-3 draw with Qatar SC. Trailing 3-1 at the end of regulation time, Al Rayyan scored twice in stoppage time to salvage a point. Al Arabi stayed fifth on 23 points, while Qatar SC remained seventh with 21.
Al Wakrah climbed to sixth place with 22 points after overturning a deficit to beat Al Ahli 3-2. Al Ahli stayed on 15 points, level with Al Sailiya, who moved up to ninth place on goal difference.
At the lower end of the table, Umm Salal revived their survival hopes with a 2-1 victory over Al Duhail. The win lifted Umm Salal to 11th place on 12 points, one point ahead of bottom side Al Shahaniya. Al Duhail slipped to eighth with 20 points.
In the race for the Golden Boot, Al Rayyan’s Roger Guedes continued to lead the standings with 16 goals after opening the scoring against Al Arabi. Qatar SC striker Joao Pedro is second with 12 goals, while Afif moved into third place on 11 following his treble against Al Shahaniya.
