Al Sadd achieved a commanding 5-0 victory over Al Arabi during Week 3 of the 2024-2025 season Ooredoo Stars League, held at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium on Thursday.
This marked the defending champions’ second consecutive league win, as they dominated their opponents throughout the match.
Al Sadd established a 3-0 lead by halftime. Spanish forward Rafael Mujica was the standout performer, netting a hat-trick with goals in the eighth minute (penalty), the 26th minute, and the 89th minute.
Additionally, Akram Afif scored in the 19th minute, while Giovani Henrique added another in the 60th minute. From the outset, Al Arabi struggled to find their rhythm.
Although a potential penalty against them was dismissed by VAR in the fifth minute, they were not as fortunate moments later. In the eighth minute, Ahmed Fathi was penalized for making contact with Al Sadd’s Hashim Ali while contesting a high ball in the penalty area. Following a VAR review, the referee awarded a penalty, which Mujica converted decisively to give his team the lead (1-0).
Afif showcased his exceptional talent shortly thereafter. Following a throw-in by Jassem Jaber, Helal Mohammed attempted to pass to Abdou Diallo, but Afif intercepted the ball and swiftly scored to extend the lead to 2-0.
One of the match’s highlights came when Afif delivered an exquisite through ball to Mujica, who skillfully maneuvered just outside the box before slotting the ball past the diving goalkeeper into the net (3-0). Al Arabi managed a rare opportunity in the 42nd minute when Ahmed Alaaeldin found himself in a promising position, but his weak shot was easily blocked. In stoppage time of the first half,
Al Sadd nearly added a fourth goal; however, Afif hesitated with only the goalkeeper to beat, allowing an Al Arabi defender to recover the ball in time.
Just before halftime, a shot from Giovani struck the crossbar. Al Sadd continued their dominance in the second half, scoring their fourth goal in the 60th minute when Giovani outpaced a defender, cutting in from the right to place the ball into the far left corner of the net.
Al Arabi improved their defensive efforts and successfully thwarted additional attempts from Al Sadd, yet they primarily struggled to maintain possession as Al Sadd dominated the match. Several late attempts from Al Arabi went over the crossbar, and a shot from Hassan Al Haydous struck the outer edge of the left post.
As the match progressed, Al Sadd found more reasons to celebrate, with Afif delivering an excellent assist to Giovani, who made a well-timed run from the left flank, ensuring he was onside, and calmly netted his hat-trick goal, contributing to the team’s fifth goal of the game.
This victory elevated Al Sadd’s points total to six from three matches, while Al Arabi fell to 11th place with only two points.
