Al-Sadd ran riot against Qatar in the Star League Regular Season, winning 6-2 at the home of the hosts on Thursday evening. The visitors made no mistake from the opening whistle, going ahead within fifteen minutes and never looking back. To be fair, this was the sort of result that separates the contenders from the rest of the field.
Paulo Otavio caught the eye early, striking twice in the first half to put Al-Sadd ahead 2-0. By then the hosts were already off the pace, and Y. Abdurisag added a third goal just before the break. Qatar pulled one back through A. Afif in stoppage time, but it was too little, too late.
Joao Pedro doubled his tally with a penalty in the 61st minute, and Roberto Firmino made it four after the interval. P. Prim and Claudinho followed, while the late consolation from Afif did nothing to change the complexion of the game. And here's the thing — you can see why the market has overreacted to the favourite.
The statistics tell the full story. Al-Sadd enjoyed 58 per cent possession and created nine big chances compared with two for Qatar. Their shots accuracy sat at 0.70, with 19 attempts on target against just six for the hosts. They also completed 441 passes to 360, and their key passes — 23 — showed how much more dangerous they were in the final third.
Qatar remain in 11th place after two games, with one draw and one defeat leaving them on a solitary point. Al-Sadd sit top of the table with six points from two wins, and this result proved they have the deeper squad to see through a demanding fixture list.