DOHA: Al Sadd reignited the Doha Bank Stars League title race with a 3-1 away victory over leaders Al Gharafa on Saturday in the 14th round of the 2025–26 season at Thani bin Jassim Stadium.
The win cut Al Gharafa’s lead at the top of the table to two points, keeping the championship battle wide open as Al Gharafa remain first on 31 points, with Al Sadd closing in on 29.
After a goalless first half, Al Sadd struck quickly after the restart, with Firmino opening the scoring early in the second half before Giovanni Henrique doubled the advantage soon after. Al Gharafa responded midway through the half through Ayoub Mohammed Al-Alawi, but Akram Afif sealed the victory with a stoppage-time goal.
The result underlined Al Sadd’s dominance at the venue, with Al Gharafa still without a league win over their rivals at Thani bin Jassim Stadium for 13 years.
The match was officiated by international referee Abdulhadi Al-Ruwaili, assisted by Talib Salem Al-Marri and Mohammed Yousef Hussein, with Naif Al-Qadri as fourth official. Mishari Al-Shammari served as video assistant referee, assisted by Hamad Mohammed Al-Aji.
