Doha: Qatar SC climbed to the top of the standings in the Doha Bank Stars League at the close of Week 8, following a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Umm Salal. Elsewhere, Al Duhail handed Al Shamal their first defeat of the season with a 2-0 win, while defending champions Al Sadd suffered a 3-1 loss to Al Arabi in the hotly contested Doha Derby. Al Gharafa also claimed a valuable 3-1 victory over Al Ahli to take sole possession of second place, just one point behind the new leaders.
According to Qatar News Agency, Brazilian forward Joao Pedro was the hero for Qatar SC, scoring twice to overturn a first-half deficit and ensure his side collected all three points. Umm Salal’s Ramy Suhail had opened the scoring just before halftime, while Qatar were reduced to ten men after Ahmed Sayyar was sent off. Pedro’s brace completed a memorable comeback that propelled Qatar SC to the league summit.
The win marked Qatar SC’s fifth victory in their last 15 league meetings with Umm Salal (five wins, eight draws, two defeats). The result also extended Qatar SC’s unbeaten run to seven matches this season, lifting them to 17 points, while Umm Salal suffered their fifth defeat and remained on six points, sitting tenth – level with Al Sailiya but behind on goal difference.
At the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Al Duhail ended Al Shamal’s unbeaten run with a commanding 2-0 home win, forcing them to relinquish the top spot and drop to third place. Under Algerian coach Djamel Belmadi, who was named Coach of the Month for September, Al Duhail earned their third league victory and bounced back from their recent AFC Champions League loss to UAE’s Al Wahda. The result lifted Al Duhail to 11 points in fifth place, two behind fourth-placed Al Rayyan.
Al Shamal, led by Spanish coach David Prats, saw their best-ever start to a league season halted but remain among the early contenders. Al Duhail have now won ten of the last eleven league encounters between the two sides.
Meanwhile, defending champions Al Sadd fell to their third defeat of the campaign, losing 3-1 to Al Arabi in the first official match under Arabi’s new Romanian coach Cosmin Contra. Al Sadd took the lead through Akram Afif, but Al Arabi capitalized on the numerical advantage after Paulo Ot¡vio’s red card, turning the game around with a standout performance from Spanish playmaker Rodrigo S¡nchez, who scored twice and assisted another to seal the win. The result lifted Al Arabi to eighth place with 7 points, one behind seventh-placed Al Sadd.
The match marked Sergio Alegre’s domestic debut as Al Sadd head coach, following the departure of fellow Spaniard F©lix S¡nchez. However, the 18-time league champions once again struggled to find their rhythm and fell short of their usual high standards. Al Arabi have now beaten Al Sadd three times in their last 15 league encounters (10 wins for Al Sadd, 2 draws).
Elsewhere, Al Gharafa returned to winning ways with a 3-1 triumph over Al Ahli, as Portuguese coach Pedro Martins’ men climbed to second in the table. The victory provided a timely boost after their heavy 4-0 defeat to Al Ahli Saudi in the AFC Champions League Elite round in Riyadh. For Al Ahli, it was a fifth league loss this season, leaving last season’s fourth-placed team in 11th place with six points – just two ahead of bottom side Al Shahania.
Al Gharafa have now won seven of their last 15 league meetings with Al Ahli, compared to four wins and four draws for the latter.
Al Rayyan continued their strong form as Brazilian duo Rodrigo Moreno and Roger Guedes scored in a 2-0 win over Al Wakrah, moving the Lions into fourth place on 13 points. Al Wakrah, led by Spanish coach Vicente Moreno, suffered their second defeat of the season and slipped to sixth with 11 points.
At Al Khor Stadium, Al Sailiya climbed off the bottom of the table after a narrow 1-0 win over Al Shahania, courtesy of defender Diego Amaro. The result lifted Al Sailiya to six points and ninth place under coach Mirghani Al Zain, while Al Shahania, coached by Spaniard Santiago Denia, dropped to last with four points.
After 42 matches, the Doha Bank Stars League has produced 35 wins, 7 draws, and 132 goals, averaging 3.1 goals per game. A total of 25 penalties have been awarded, with 20 converted and 5 missed, while referees have shown 188 yellow cards and 8 red cards.
Al Rayyan’s Brazilian striker Roger Guedes remains top of the scoring chart after netting again against Al Wakrah, taking his tally to 7 goals, one ahead of Qatar SC’s Joao Pedro (6). Three players follow with 5 goals each: Osama Tannane (Umm Salal), Redouane Barkan (Al Wakrah), and Krzysztof Piatek (Al Duhail). Moroccan Amine Zahzouh (Al Wakrah) sits next with 4 goals.
Week 9 kicks off on October 30, headlined by the clash between defending champions Al Sadd and Al Rayyan at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium. On the same day, Al Gharafa host Al Duhail at Thani bin Jassim Stadium.
The round continues on October 31 with Al Arabi facing Al Shahania at Al Thumama Stadium and Al Wakrah taking on Qatar SC at Saud bin Abdulrahman Stadium. The week concludes on November 1, with Al Sailiya meeting Al Ahli at Hamad Al Kabir Stadium, and Umm Salal hosting Al Shamal at Al Khor Stadium.