It was double delight as far as Al Rayyan were concerned after the QNB Stars League’s Week 5 action. They not only defeated Al Arabi 1-0 in a keenly-fought, much-awaited encounter, but surged to the top of standings as well.
Umm Salal defeating Al Gharafa 3-2 and Al Shahania putting it across Qatar SC by the same margin also caught the attention.
The clash between Al Arabi and Al Rayyan, noted for fan rivalry as they have arguably the largest and most passionate fan base in Qatar, was the highlight among the Week 5 fixtures.
The game lived up to its billing and hosts Al Arabi went down only after giving Al Rayyan a tough fight. Mohammed Juma scored the winning goal in the first half.
Al Rayyan now occupy the top spot with 11 points, one ahead of both Al Sadd and defending champions Al Duhail. Their games were rescheduled in view of their AFC Champions League quarterfinal second-leg matches on Monday against Iranian sides Esteghlal and Persepolis respectively.
Al Arabi, who had won their previous two games in succession, stood at nine points and slipped one position to fifth.
Umm Salal were badly in need of a win to boost their morale having suffered a 1-5 defeat at the hands of Al Arabi in the previous round. And they achieved it against Al Gharafa.
It may be recalled that Umm Salal had lost out to Al Gharafa in the race for the fourth position that went down to the wire last season.
Despite the result, Al Gharafa and Umm Salal stayed in the sixth and seventh position respectively.
Al Shahania did very well to beat Qatar SC as they registered their second victory to be on seven points. Nevertheless, they remained eighth in the table.
Al Ahli too recorded their second win by defeating a much-improved Al Kharaitiyat 3-2 in an exciting contest.
Source: qsl.com.qa