DOHA : Umm Salal claimed a surprise 2-1 victory over Al-Duhail at Al Khor Stadium on Thursday in the opening match of the 15th round of the Doha Bank Stars League.
Croatian forward Antonio Mansi opened the scoring deep into first-half stoppage time before Naim Al-Aidouni struck the winner in the 72nd minute. Bassam Al-Rawi netted Al-Duhail’s lone goal early in the second half.
The win lifted Umm Salal to 12 points, moving them temporarily off the bottom of the table to second-from-last place, while Al-Duhail remained sixth on 20 points.
Al-Duhail endured a chaotic opening, going down to 10 men in the sixth minute when Luis Martin was sent off for a violent challenge on Ahmed Abdel-Maqsoud. Umm Salal were handed a chance to take the lead from the penalty spot in the 26th minute after Salah Zakaria fouled Osama Tannane, but the winger’s effort was saved by the Al-Duhail goalkeeper.
The visitors’ problems deepened when French midfielder Benjamin Bourigeaud was shown a red card in the 39th minute for a strong tackle on Abdou Diallo, leaving Al-Duhail to play the remainder of the match with a numerical disadvantage.
Umm Salal finally broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage time, with Mansi converting a cross from Spaniard Cristo to give his side a 1-0 lead at the break.
Despite their reduced numbers, Al-Duhail equalised six minutes into the second half when Al-Rawi curled a direct free kick into the right corner of the net.
Umm Salal regained the lead in the 72nd minute when Al-Aidouni rose highest to head home from a corner, and they held firm under late pressure to secure a valuable three points.
