Kenya striker Michael Olunga missed out on a chance to bag his first silverware since signing for Al Duhail SC after they lost 2-0 to rivals Al Sadd in the final of Qatar Cup on Friday.
The former Gor Mahia striker, who joined the Qatari side from Kashiwa Resyol of Japan, came on in the second half while they were trailing 1-0 and could not salvage a win for them as Al Sadd were crowned the champions at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium.
Striker Baghdad Bounajah was the hero for Al Sadd, who are coached by former Barcelona player Xavi, as he notched the two goals - the opener coming in the ninth minute and the second in the 77th minute as they lifted the trophy without conceding a goal.
Al Sadd started the match on a high note and it was not a surprise when Bounajah put them ahead, taking advantage of the ball that Duhail defender Ali Mal Allah had tried to clear from the penalty area and turn it into the back of the net.
Duhail tried to establish a foothold in the match but did could not succeed as Al Sadd players defended as a unit, denying them a chance to penetrate their defence and get an attempt on goal.
Sadd when into the break with the 1-0 lead and when the teams returned for the second half, Duhail continued to press looking for the equaliser but it was not forthcoming. This forced their head coach Sabri Lamouchi to pull out Karim Boudaif for Olunga.
Almost immediately after Olunga came on Al Sadd added their second goal as Bounajah beat Duhail’s offside trap and remained with only goalkeeper Salah Zakaria to beat, and he did the work with ease, as he rounded him before placing the ball to an empty net.
Olunga was then yellow-carded in the 80th minute after he fouled an advancing Al Sadd player and it even got worse for Duhail as Sultan Al-Brake was red-carded with four minutes left to the final whistle.
Duhail will now shift their focus to the Emir Cup where they are lined up to face Al-Shamal on Tuesday before they travel away to face Al Kharaitiyat in a Qatar Stars League match on March 7.
