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<p>The QNB Stars League’s Week 8 action saw reigning champions Al Duhail occupy the top spot for the first time this season, displacing Al Sadd.</p><p>Al Duhail led the standings following their 2-0 victory over Umm Salal and Al Sadd’s 1-1 draw with Al Sailiya.</p><p>Al Sadd had been on top of the standings right from Week 1 on goal difference.</p><p>Al Duhail now have 19 points from six victories and one draw. The Red Knights were held by Al Rayyan earlier.</p><p>Al Sadd are second on 17 points from five wins and two draws. The Wolves were previously held by Al Gharafa.</p>
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<p>Umm Salal’s three-match winning run thus came to an end. Nevertheless, The Orange Fortress stayed fifth with 13 points.</p><p>Al Sailiya’s gritty performance, that saw them hold Al Sadd through a late penalty goal by striker Abdulqadir Ilyas after Algerian ace Baghdad Bounedjah put the home side ahead, helped them remain in the third position with 16 points.</p><p>The week’s big upset saw Al Rayyan crash to a 0-1 loss to Al Khor, who were the only team yet to register a victory ahead of the QNB Stars League Week 8 fixtures.</p><p>Following the defeat, Al Rayyan parted ways with Rodolfo Arruabarrena and made Under-23 coach Yuri O de Souza in charge of the senior side.</p>
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<p>Under Rodolfo, Al Rayyan had started off the 2018-19 season well by winning the Sheikh Jassim Cup with victory over Al Duhail. However, the Argentinian failed to improve the team’s performance.</p><p>The Lions, who stood fourth with 14 points, had lost to Al Sadd 0-5 in the Qatar Clasico in Week 6.</p><p>Similarly, Al Arabi’s 0-3 defeat to Al Gharafa resulted in the dismissal of Croatian coach Luka Bonacic. The Dream Team handed the charge to their Under-23 coach Hatem Al Moaddeb.</p><p>In the process, Al Gharafa arrested their three-match losing streak that saw The Cheetahs suffer defeats at the hands of Umm Salal, Al Duhail and Al Kharaitiyat.</p><p>Still, Al Arabi stayed sixth in the table with 12 points, two more than Al Gharafa who remained seventh on 10 points.</p>
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<p>Al Ahli jumped from ninth to eighth spot with a 2-1 win over Al Shahania. It was The Brigadiers’ third victory. They have nine points, while Al Shahania<br>(seven points) slipped from eighth to 10th position.</p><p>Qatar SC, playing their first match under the tutelage of Argentinian Sergio Batista, recorded a 2-0 victory over Al Kharaitiyat and moved from 10th to ninth in the table with seven points.</p><p>Al Kharaitiyat are now at the bottom with three points.</p><p>The week witnessed 13 goals being scored, compared to 15 in the last round, and just one drawn encounter.</p>