Olunga on target as Al Duhail  beat Al Sadd to lift Qatar Cup

© Al Duhail

STARS ABROAD Olunga on target as Al Duhail beat Al Sadd to lift Qatar Cup

Festus Chuma 08:00 - 07.04.2023

The centre-forward is among the most consistent performers in the Qatar Stars League and very rarely has a bad game.

Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga was on target as Al Duhail beat Al Sadd 2-0 to lift Qatar Cup in a final played at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Thursday night.

The 29-year-old scored the opening goal for the Red Knights before Tunisian midfielder Ferjani Sassi scored the second to seal the win.

The victory kept the Hernan Crespo side on course for a quadruple this season, having won Ooredoo Cup last month, and they are leading the Qatar League and are also in contention for Amir Cup.

"The Qatar Cup 2023 coronation came at the right time after the team won the Ooredoo Cup. This would give us more motivation in the remaining tournaments of the season,"Olunga said in a post-match interview.

"I extend my congratulations to the management and players of Al Duhail and the fans on the occasion of this deserving achievement and after great efforts in the final against a strong team that has players at the highest level.

"Winning the Qatar Cup is a great joy, and our players were up to the challenge and responsibility. We succeeded to win with an outstanding and convincing performance, as the team was focused from start to finish."

Al Sadd had the vast majority of possession in the opening stages, with Al Duhail sitting deep and looking to exploit spaces on the counter which saw Ali Assad fire the game's first shot on target and goalkeeper Salah Zakaria made a comfortable save.

The Wolves had another glaring chance-this time falling to Ayoub El Kaabi- in the tenth minute after a rebound fell kindly for the forward, but he put his shot over the crossbar.

Duhail's main source of the attack was finding beanpole Almoez Ali and looking to build off his flick-ons or hold-up play. One such example created space for Nam Tae-hee to shoot from the edge of the box, but he sent his effort wide in the 25th minute.

Olunga had a chance to break the deadlock in the 37th minute but failed to direct Almoez Ali into the back of the net.

Duhail continued to see most of the ball after the restart, and they took the lead in the 48th minute with Olunga placing the ball into the back from Sassi’s cross.

Five minutes later, the hard-working Sassi doubled their lead, sending a half volley into the right corner of the net after the Al Sadd goalkeeper deflected Almoez’s attempt from a cross.

Al Sadd created a couple of minutes before the hour mark, but after showing some nifty footwork to slide past Boualem Khoukhi, the Algeria-born defender sent his shot high and wide.

Duhail had a chance to extend their lead in the 74th minute when Almoez had space to get away a shot inside the penalty area, but he scuffed his attempt and Saad Al Sheeb made a comfortable save.

Despite all the efforts from the Wolves, they failed to beat Al Duhail in the closing stages, and the Red Knights walked away with the trophy.