Al Duhail topped the Doha Bank Stars League for the 2026-2027 season, after defeating Al Gharafa by two goals to one, in the match that brought them together yesterday at Thani Bin Jassim Stadium in Al Gharafa, in the ninth round of the competition.
Al Duhail raised its score to 21 points at the top of the standings, while Al Gharafa’s score froze at 9 points in tenth place. The match witnessed a strong start from both teams, and Al-Gharafa succeeded in opening the scoring in the 23rd minute through Florenel Coman, benefiting from Yacine Brahimi’s pass.
Al-Duhail intensified its offensive attempts in search of a comeback, and Krzysztof Piatek was able to score the equalizer in the 39th minute, after a pass from Marco Verratti, so the first half ended in a 1-1 draw.
In the second half, Al-Duhail continued its offensive pressure, and Bubakary Soumare succeeded in scoring the second goal in the 63rd minute, benefiting from a pass from Sultan Al-Breik, to give his team the lead for the first time in the match.
Al-Gharafa tried to equalize during the remaining minutes, but Al-Duhail succeeded in maintaining its lead until the final whistle, to score three important points that gave it the top spot in the standings. After being in the lead, coach Belmadi will be keenly anticipating the match between Al-Sadd and Al-Rayyan tonight, hoping to come away with a draw point for the two teams, given that they have 18 points. Therefore, if they tie tonight, if it happens, Al-Duhail will remain in the lead.
