Doha, 22 October 2020 - South Korean international star Nam Tae-hee scored a brace as Al Sadd slammed Al Duhail 3-1 in the rescheduled week-three game of the QNB Stars League at the Al Duhail Stadium on Wednesday.
The former Al Duhail playmaker scored in both half of the match and Guilherme Torres scored the other for the Wolves. Eduardo Rodriguez (Dudu) reduced the margin for Al Duhail four minutes before the regulation time.
The win means that Al Sadd earned 10 points, while champions Al Duhail, playing their first league game under
French coach Sabri Lamouchi, stay on six.
The heavy-weight clash between the most formidable teams in Qatar football, delayed due to team participation in the 2020 AFC Champions League.
It started on a quick note. Al Sadd missed the injured striker Bagdad Bounedjah, but had the services of forward Akram Afif, who was on national duty along with some other players.
The Xavi Hernandez-coached Al Sadd showed more purpose in their attack and whenever they launched
raids, Al Duhail crowded their defence.
Al Sadd’s Santi Cazorla’s free-kick was blocked by goalkeeper Mohammed Al Bakri and Akram hit his shot against the right upright.
At the other end, the free-kick of Ramin Rezaeian hit the defensive wall.
Nam scored a rising shot that dipped inside the goal after hitting the crossbar in the 22nd minute, giving Al Bakri no chance to save despite his effort to get his hand on the ball.
Guilherme doubled the lead by heading in a free-kick from captain Hassan Al Haydous in the 38th minute.
For Al Duhail, Dudu made two attempts at the goal in the first half, and captain Almoez Ali connected a long ball wide to the end of the goal.
Al Duhail took over the field in the second half, with Ismail Mohammed replacing Mehdi Benatia. The two teams then made a succession of substitutions.
Al Duhail was now more in the game than they were in the first half, even as Al Sadd’s goaltender Meshal Barsham continued to make impressive saves.
In the meantime, Nam scored a second time ten minutes after the hour mark with an angular shot past Ramin’s challenge after Akram set him up by heading down a long cross.
Al Duhail had a goal that had been disallowed in the 77th minute as referee Salman Falahi, after consulting the VAR, ruled that Ismail ‘handled’ the ball before scoring after a free-kick by Ramin.
Dudu finally found a left-footed target, but it was too late for Al Duhail.
Scoreline
Al Sadd 3 (Nam Tae-hee 22’, 70’; Guilherme dos Santos Torres 38’) bt Al Duhail 1 (Dudu 86’).
