DOHA, Qatar (Interstat) — Umm Salal opened its Qatar Stars League season with a 1-0 upset victory over Al Sailiya on Friday at Grand Hamad Stadium. Substitute Cristo González scored the game’s only goal in the 24th minute, converting a chance created by fellow substitute Naim Laidouni. The result defied pre-match projections that heavily favored the home side. Al Sailiya, which was given a 71.9% probability to win by Interstat’s ELO system, failed to find an equalizer. The match was a physical affair, producing six yellow cards, with five shown to Umm Salal players including Essien, Al Bistamy, Mahmoud, Amer and Laidouni. With the win, Umm Salal begins the league campaign with a victory while Al Sailiya starts with a defeat.