(LEFT): Lekhwiya’s Yousuf Msakni leaves three Al Sailya players in his wake at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium yetserday. (Inset): Al Sadd’s Xavi is congratulated by Nadir Belhadj after he scored his team’s first goal.

By Sports Reporter
Doha

Lekhwiya were made to work hard by minnows Al Sailiya before they claimed a 2-0 win in the Qatar Stars League yesterday.
At the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, the defending champions scored a goal in each half to claim all three points, with Karim Boudiaf and Yousuf Msakni on target.
Al Sailiya started brightly and were able to pin back Lekhwiya but the latter rode the pressure and were soon able to find their rhythm.
The first real chance of the game also turned out to be the only goal of the match in the 34th minute. Vladimir Weiss, who had been causing trouble down the left flank, cut in looking to pass but his through-ball was cleared by Dragos Grigore.
However Lekhwiya’s midfield general Boudiaf  intercepted the clearance and on the edge of the box and quickly struck a low drive which caught the leg of Mostafa Mohammed and wrong-footed the goalkeeper before going in.
In the second half, Al  Sailiya managed to apply some pressure but they couldn’t find a way past the Lekhwiya defence. Indeed, they failed to work the Lekhwiya keeper throughout most of the second half. There was however one sliver of a chance for Al Sailiya when the ball was floated in and new signing Luciano went up for the header.  Lekhwiya keeper Claude Amin missed the ball completely and instead punched the head of Luciano who otherwise might have connected.
Then substitute Msakni was put through by Boudiaf but the Tunisian didn’t connect with the ball properly and Al Sailiya keeper Gregory Gomis saved their blushes.
Al Sailiya began to dominate possession as they looked to equalise and won a freekick on the edge of the box. Luciano stepped up and sent a clever low curling effort around the wall but it was just wide of the post.
Lekhwiya looked to have sealed the win just two minutes later when substitute Mohamed Muntari leapt high and headed in a great effort from inside the box, but bizarrely he was deemed by the officials to have fouled the defender in the process.
It didn’t matter in the end as an inspired Nam Tae-Hee back heel in the box was followed by a cool side footed finish by Msakni in second half added time as Lekhwiya secured all three points.
In another match, a spectacular volleyed goal by Hassan al-Haydous was the highlight as Al Sadd edged Al Ahli 2-1 .The first match in over five years at the newly refurbished Al Ahli Stadium was an exciting affair capped by a memorable winning goal by al-Haydous after Ndomble Mubele had cancelled out a fourth minute goal by Xavi.
Al Sadd went ahead through the Barcelona and Spain legend Xavi following a great team effort started by defender Abdulkarim Hassan who delivered a long cross from the deep for al-Haydous on the right flank.
The Sadd winger collected the ball and then delivered a great through ball to an unmarked Xavi who had no problem slotting it into the far corner of the net first time. Sadd seized the initiative as they controlled the midfield, but they couldn’t consolidate as they went into the break leading 2-1.
In the second half, too, Al Sadd looked composed and were able to thwart the sporadic attacks that the Ahli offence was able to muster.
Then in the 52nd minute a huge blunder from Sadd defender Jung-Soo-lee helped Ahli get back into the game. The Korean stumbled on the edge of the box while attempting a clearance and new Brigadiers signing Mubele was there to capitalise on the opportunity to put his side on level terms.
With some luck, Mubele could have doubled his tally in the 70th minute. Lee was again the culprit this time as he failed to track Mubele’s movement inside the box but the Congolese striker’s shot went over the bar from short range.
Then the highlight of the match came when in the 83rd minute. Abdulkarim Hassaan provided a diagonal cross into the box and  al-Haydous volleyed the ball into the net for his first goal of the season to help Al Sadd take all three points.
In other matches,  Al Gharafa beat Al Arabi 1-0, while El Jaish defeated
Al Kharaitiyat 2-1.