QNB Stars League Saw Unprecedented Number of New Records

Doha, May 08 (QNA) - The 2018-19 QNB Stars League, which saw Al Sadds triumph for a record-extending 14th time and Al Kharaitiyats relegation to the Second Division, saw an unprecedented number of records being broken. The 2018-19 QNB Stars League was also noted for a number of events, which happened off the field. Against this backdrop, the Qatar Stars League (QSL) website reviews the tournament that went by. Al Shahania competed in the 2018-19 QNB Stars League by virtue of being the 2017-18 Second Division champions. They thus returned to the top flight and showed excellent levels in many matches, proving themselves as a strong side. The new season began early, on August 4, because of the national teams’ preparations for the 2019 Asian Cup in the UAE and Qatari clubs qualification for the AFC Champions Leagues knockout phase. Al Duhail had reached the quarterfinal and Al Sadd made it to the semifinal. The start of the season was quite exceptional. The 2018-19 season QNB Stars Leagues first leg that concluded on November 4 witnessed many thrilling contests and exciting results. Al Sadds 10-1 win over Al Arabi in Week 2, with ace Algerian striker Baghdad Bounedjah scoring seven goals stood out. Al Duhails 6-0 victory over Al Khor, also in Week 2, and Al Arabis 5-1 win over Umm Salal in Week 4 were the other notable results. The matches between Al Arabi and Al Rayyan always hog the limelight as it is a contest between two teams with the most loyal and traditional fan base in Qatar. This time, Al Rayyan won 1-0 in Week 5. Al Sadd beat Al Rayyan 5-0 in the Qatar Clasico played in Week 6. Al Khor defeated Al Kharaitiyat 5-1 in Week 9 and Al Gharafa put it across Al Khor by a 6-0 margin. Among the most notable results in the first leg was the 3-1 victory of Al Sadd over Al Duhail in Week 9. The game was postponed and played at the Al Sadd Stadium on 11th December due to AFC Champions League engagement. A number of players starred in the first leg, including the likes of Xavi Hernandez, Akram Afif, Bounedjah, Qatar national team captain Hassan Al Haydous (all Al Sadd), Nam Tae-Hee, Yousef El Arabi, Almoez Ali (Al Duhai), Rodrigo Tabata, Mohammed Alaaeldin, Abdulrahman Al Korbi (all Al Rayyan), Mouhcine Moutaouly (Al Ahli), Rashid Tiberkanine, Abdulqadir Ilyas and Abdulkarim Salem (all Al Sailiya). Ahmed Ibrahim excelled for Al Arabi, while Al Khor rode on Wagner Ferreira. Qatar SC signed Samuel Etoo, a former Barcelona player who also represented a number of European clubs. Al Ahli featured a number of outstanding players, including Dutchman Nigel de Jong and Iranian Omid Ibrahimi. As far as Qatari players were concerned, Al Rayyan attracted Khalfan Ibrahim from Al Arabi and Al Sailiya recruited Abdulkadir Ilyas. Left-back Abdelkarim Hassan, who continued to impress with Al Sadd, was adjudged the best player in Asia at the AFC Award Ceremony in Oman. The second leg started on Thursday, November 8 of 2018, with Week 12 matches. A meeting of the QSL was held with clubs representatives. The QSL co-operated with the clubs in order to achieve the common goals. The schedule for Weeks 12, 13, 14 and 15 were announced. Winter timing of matches came into force from Week 13 onwards. The tournament was halted after the Week 15 action due to the request of the national team management in view of preparations for the Asian Cup. The postponed game between Al Sadd and Al Duhail was the last fixture played, on 11th December 2018. The rescheduling, from Week 9, was made due to the engagements in 2018 AFC Champions League, where Al Duhail qualified for the quarterfinal and Al Sadd for the semifinal. The winter transfer window was an ideal opportunity for some teams to strengthen their squads. It witnessed special signings by some clubs. The most prominent among them were that of Moroccan international defender Mehdi Benatia from Juventus and Japanese midfielder Shoya Nakajima. Both joined Al Duhail. Al Arabi recruited Ivory Coast star Wilfried Bony from Swansea City, Morteza Pouraliganji, Spains Victor Vazquez, Ibrahim Majed and Musaab Khader. Al Rayyan roped in Venezuelan striker Gelmin Rivas, while Al Khor recruited Brazilian striker Thiago Bezerra from Uzbekistans Pakhtakor, Tunisian Ayman Trabelsi and Lebanese Alexander Melki. Umm Salal added Brazilian Anderson Benedito and Luis Otavio to their ranks. Brazilian Lucas Mendes moved from Al Duhail to Al Gharafa and Mohamed Muntari returned to Al Duhail after representing Al Ahli. After the 2019 Asian Cup, where Qatar triumphed, with Almoez emerging as the top scorer and best player, and Saad Al Dossari winning the best-goalkeeper award, the spotlight was back on the QNB Stars League. Week 16 games were played on February 14-16. the VAR (Video Assistant Referee) technology was also introduced in the QNB Stars League after the Asian Cup, In line with the QSLs keenness to keep pace with the latest developments and in co-operation with the Qatar Football Association and its Referees Committee. The second section saw many important matches and results that had a direct impact on the standings. Al Sadd won the league title with one round to spare. On the contrary, Al Duhail lost some points either by drawing or losing matches. Al Duhail were held 2-2 by Al Rayyan, while Al Sadd defeated Al Gharafa 8-1, both in Week 14. Week 17 saw the Qatar Clasico between Al Rayyan and Al Sadd, with the latter winning by a 4-0 margin. Al Sadd continued to produce good results, including an 8-1 victory over Qatar SC in Week 18. The second leg also witnessed some exciting matches, which had bearing on the teams’ standings, be it on the top, middle or bottom of the table. Al Kharaitiyat, coached by former Qatar international Wesam Rizik, registered three successive victories in Weeks 17, 18 and 19, against Umm Salal, Al Gharafa and Qatar SC in that order. Keeping pace with the latest developments and as part of embracing technology and innovation for the benefit of professional football in Qatar and QNB Stars League, the QSL launched Live Match Analysis system to become the first in Asia to do so and second in the world, after the Danish league. The system was implemented from Week 20 of the QNB Stars League in all matches. A similar system was used at last year’s FIFA World Cup in Russia, but the QSL used it after making some modifications. The match of the season was arguably the one between Al Duhail and Al Sadd were locked in an electrifying 2-2 draw in their QNB Stars League Week 20 heavyweight clash on Saturday, March 30. Yousef El Arabi, the last two seasons league top scorer in Qatar, struck Al Duhails goals in the 75th and 85th minutes. Baghdad Bounedjah had put Al Sadd ahead by scoring in the 26th minute. The Wolves were helped by an own goal by substitute Murad Naji at the stroke of final whistle (90+5). Much was at stake for the match as Al Sadd would have been crowned had they won the match. On the other hand, Al Duhail needed only a draw to stay in the title race. Al Sadd were officially crowned as the 2018-19 QNB Stars League champions following their 7-2 victory over Al Ahli in Week 21. The Wolves, who had taken an unassailable lead, made it memorable in front of home fans. Al Sailiya meanwhile secured their best-ever position in the Qatar league (third). The Peregrines collected a total of 38 points, one more than Al Rayyan, who were edged to the fourth place. Al Shahania also achieved remarkable success in the QNB Stars League after earning promotion from the Second Division. They finished in a creditable seventh position with 27 points, one more than big name Al Gharafa. Al Shahania recorded seven victories, six draws and nine defeats. In the process, they got some excellent results. Jose Murcias men undoubtedly benefited from stability in the squad, on the technical and player fronts. Al Kharaitiyat unfortunately for them were relegated to the Second Division after they lost 2-5 to Al Sailiya in the final round when all six matches were played on same day (Saturday, April 13). They ended up with 15 points (five wins and 17 defeats) to be placed last in the table. The tournament saw a number of coaches lead their clubs with great success, notably Al Sadds Portuguese master Jesualdo Ferreira, who won his first league title in Qatar. Tunisian Sami Trabelsi also made it big by guiding Al Sailiya to a creditable third position, their best finish so far, while Spaniard Jose Murcia led Al Shahania to a respectable seventh-place finish. Despite getting relegated, Qatari coach Wesam Rizik did well with Al Kharaitiyat as they won three matches in a row (in Weeks 17, 18 and 19). Al Sadd set many records in the tournament en route to clinching the title. They scored 100 goals in 22 matches, with an average of 4.5 goals per game, for the first time in Qatar league history. They won 18 of them, drew three and lost one. They conceded only 22 goals to have a goal difference of +78, the most by any team. Bounedjah topped the chart with a record 39 goals from 22 matches with an average of 1.7 goals per game, as he played a vital role in Al Sadd’s triumph in the QNB Stars League. In the process, Bounedjah became the Qatar leagues all-time top scorer in a single season. He surpassed Brazilian striker Clemerson Soares record of 27 goals set in the 2007-08 season for Al Gharafa. Among the most prominent foreign professionals were Spanish star Xavi Hernandez, Bounedjah, Moroccan striker El Arabi, his compatriot Benatia, Nakajima, Moroccan forward Rachid Tiberkanine, Algerian Nadir Belhadj, Brazilian Rivas, Dutchman Nigel de Jong, Al Khors Brazilian Wagner Ferreira and Al Shahanias Iranian player Ramin Rezaeian. Al Sadd had the credit of making the greatest number of Qatari players shine. Right from goalkeeper Saad to defenders Bualem Khoukhi, Tareq Salman, Abdulkarim Hassan, the best player in Asia in 2018, Salem Al Hajri in the middle and Hassan Al Haydous and Akram Afif in the attack. A number of national players also starred with Al Duhail, most notably Bassam Al Rawi, Almoez, and Karim Boudiaf. In Al Sailiya, Al Menhali starred alongside striker Al Hadaf, Abdulqader Ilyas, Magdi Siddiq and Mohammed Medhtar. In Al Rayyan, Mowaffaq Awad performed well, alongside goalkeeper Fahd Younis. Al Gharafa had the likes of Amro Seraj, Elias Ahmed, Yousef Hassan, Ahmed Alaaeldin and Nasser Al Ahraq, while Al Arabi boast of Hashim Ali and Mohammed Salah El Neel. For Al Shahania, goalkeeper Amer Al Amri and Yousef Hani shone among others. (QNA)