Qatar SC and Al Markhiya notch up wins; Al Rayyan look to jump up in standings

Doha, Qatar: A resolute Qatar SC edged out Al Shamal 2 1 while bottom side Al Markhiya thumped Al Ahli 4 1 on a night of surprises at the Expo Stars L...

Doha, Qatar: A resolute Qatar SC edged out Al Shamal 2-1 while bottom side Al Markhiya thumped Al Ahli 4-1 on a night of surprises at the Expo Stars League (ESL) yesterday.

Placed seventh in the standings, Al Shamal had entered the Al Bayt Stadium as favourites but Qatar SC – ranked 10th – put up a brilliant show to claim their fifth victory of the season.

They went ahead with an angular left-footed strike by Bruno Tabata in the 23rd minute with Youssef Ali scoring their second goal off a rebound five minutes lataer. Al Shamal saw their lead reduced following Khaled Mahmoudi’s own-goal, who inadvertently headed the ball into his own net while trying to block a cross four minutes before half-time.

Al Shamal made several attempts to score but Qatar SC retained their lead to move to 19 points with Al Shamal staying on 21 points.

At the Al Thumama Stadium, Al Markhiya rode on Bashar Rasan’s brace as they produced a morale-boosting performance after Julian Draxler put Al Ahli ahead in 22nd minute with a strike from a close range.