Al-Duhail inflicted a heavy first loss on Al-Shamal, runner-up in the last edition of the Qatari League, 4-0, on Thursday, at the opening of the fifth stage competitions, while Al-Wakrah snatched a fatal victory over Al-Gharafa, 3-2.
This comes as the veteran Algerian star and former Manchester City and Al-Ahly player, Riyad Mahrez, is heading to sign a contract with the club until the end of the current season, and he was seen on the main stage watching the match.
Al-Duhail regained the winning tone after three draws, raising its score to 9 points and temporarily advancing to third place, while the sudden fall cost Al-Shamal to temporarily fall to fourth place with 8 points.
As for Al-Wakrah, it came from behind against Al-Gharafa to win in the last breath 3-2, achieving its first victory in the tournament.
The winner raised his score to 5 points and temporarily advanced to seventh place, while Al Gharafa continued to reel with its third loss in exchange for a win and a draw, leaving its score at 4 points and falling to tenth place.
The stage will be completed on Friday with matches between Al-Sadd and Al-Arabi, and Qatar and Al-Rayyan, and will conclude on Saturday with matches between Al-Shahania and Lusail and Al-Ahly and Al-Sailiya.
The struggling Al Sailiya club in the Qatar Professional League announced, on Thursday, its contract with veteran Spanish striker Joselu, in a move through which it hopes to strengthen its attacking power after a difficult start to the current season.
Al Sailiya is suffering from a faltering start to the season after losing its first four matches in the league, placing it at the bottom of the standings, which prompted the club’s management to strengthen the team’s ranks in the hope of improving results during the next stage.
Al Sailiya published a video clip introducing the player, through his account on the “X” platform, accompanied by the phrase: “Spanish giant Silaoui!”, announcing Joselu’s joining the team, without revealing the contract period.
The signing of Joselu (36 years old) comes after the end of his association with Al-Gharafa, for which he played during the past two seasons, as he participated in 58 matches in various competitions, during which he scored 28 goals and provided 5 assists.
Although his name was linked to several clubs in the top flight in Spain and Germany after the expiration of his contract, Joselu preferred to continue in Qatar.
Joselu has a distinguished career at the international level, as he played 17 matches with the Spanish national team, and was part of the team that won the 2024 European Championship title.
He also won the Champions League title with Real Madrid in the same year, after a career during which he moved between a number of clubs in Spain, England and Germany, before moving to the Qatari League in the summer of 2024.
The Iraqi Prime Minister, Ali Al-Zaidi, directed the completion of the Al-Tajiyat Stadium project, as part of the preparations for the capital, Baghdad, to host the Arabian Gulf Cup Football Championship “Gulf 28”, scheduled for 2028.
According to Iraqi media, the Prime Minister’s directive came during his meeting today, Wednesday, with the President of the Iraqi National Olympic Committee, Dr. Aqeel Muftin, and the President of the Iraqi Football Association, Younis Mahmoud, as part of the preparations for hosting the tournament and preparing the sports facilities necessary to hold it in the capital.
The Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation announced, on Wednesday evening, its official approval for Baghdad to host the “Gulf 28” competitions, after agreement with the Iraqi Football Association and the approval of all concerned parties.
The Iraqi Federation is scheduled to announce later the stadiums that will host the tournament matches, while the inspection committees of the Arab Gulf Cup Federation will visit the Iraqi capital during the coming period, to assess the readiness of the stadiums, sports facilities, hotels, and logistical services related to hosting.
The Arabian Gulf Cup Federation had previously granted Iraq the right to host the 28th edition of the tournament, which will be held during the period from 9 to 22 December 2028, before Baghdad was officially approved as a host city for the competitions.
