DOHA (Interstat) — Ali Almoez scored twice and Al-Duhail defeated Al-Shabab 3-0 on Wednesday, using an early goal and a steady second-half attack to secure a home victory. Almoez struck in the 7th minute and again in the 51st, while Sekou Yansane added the final goal in the 77th. Al-Duhail controlled much of the match and did not allow Al-Shabab to find a response. The result gave Al-Duhail a win in its competition opener and kept the club unbeaten across all competitions this season.

Al-Duhail opened with intent. Almoez’s first goal came in the seventh minute, giving the home side an early advantage. Fadi Z. received a yellow card for Al-Duhail in the 11th minute, but the hosts maintained their shape and kept Al-Shabab from building sustained possession. Al-Shabab’s Khalfan I. was cautioned in the second minute of first-half stoppage time. The visitors went into halftime without a goal, trailing by one after Al-Duhail’s quick start.

After halftime, Al-Duhail made a change at the 46th minute with Castelletto J. entering as a substitute. Almoez’s second goal arrived in the 51st minute, doubling the lead and shifting the match further in the home side’s favor. Al-Shabab responded with substitutions in the 53rd minute when Khalfan I. came off and again in the 61st minute with Al Shabibi Y. and Al Rushadi H. entering. The changes gave Al-Shabab fresh legs, but Al-Duhail’s back line remained organized and limited clear chances. Al-Duhail’s midfield held possession for long stretches and forced the visitors to defend deep.

Al-Duhail then made further substitutions in the 66th minute with Jamshid T. and Piatek K., in the 67th minute with Gamer A., and in the 73rd minute with Almoez coming off after his two-goal performance. Al-Shabab also made a 73rd-minute change with Al Shahri H. and a 74th-minute change with Doesburg P. Boubakary Soumare provided an assist while playing 90 minutes for Al-Duhail. Yansane, who played 24 minutes, delivered the decisive third for Al-Duhail in the 77th minute. That goal ended any realistic hope of a comeback for the visitors, who had been chasing the game since the early stages. Both teams used five substitutions.

Tahsin Mohammed recorded an assist in 66 minutes, and Mohamed Yazan added an assist in 17 minutes. Al-Shabab could not convert its chances into a goal, and Al-Duhail recorded a clean sheet. The result left Al-Duhail with one win and no losses in the competition and a 4-0-3 record across all competitions. Al-Shabab fell to no wins and one loss in the competition and a 1-1 record overall. Al-Duhail’s goals came in the 7th, 51st and 77th minutes.

Al-Shabab had won its previous match, defeating Saham 2-1 at home. The visitors’ previous result was a win, but they could not carry that form into this road fixture. Al-Duhail entered after a 4-0 win at Shamal and remained unbeaten across all competitions, having also recorded wins over Al-Shahaniya and Al Sailiya while drawing with Al-Shahaniya, Al Rayyan and Al Arabi. Al-Duhail’s schedule continues with a Stars League match at Al Sadd SC, followed by more Stars League fixtures against Lusail, Al Wakrah, Al-Gharafa, Qatar SC and Al Ahli Doha. Al-Shabab will look to regroup after a road loss in which it was kept off the scoreboard.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Al-Duhail 2, Al-Shabab 2. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Al-Duhail with an 80.5 percent probability to win. Al-Duhail had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 3 went under the over/under line of 2.5.