Umm-Salal 2, Shamal 3

AL KHOR, Qatar (Interstat) — In a dramatic, back-and-forth season opener, Al Shamal edged Umm Salal 3-2 in a Qatar Stars League match Saturday at Al Bayt Stadium. The contest, which defied a pregame projection favoring the home side, was decided by a late flurry of goals after a tense and scoreless first half. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of 2-1 for Al Shamal, and its ELO system gave the hosts an 83.30 percent probability to win, forecasts that only narrowly captured the match’s competitive nature. The breakthrough finally came in first-half stoppage time. In the 45th… Read more...