Match Report
20 points for Al Mu'aidar (2nd), 19 for Al-Arabi SC (4th): a 1-point gap. On recent form Al-Arabi SC sat only 13th league-wide over the last five rounds, well short of their 4th overall. Scoring rates set the scale: Al Mu'aidar 2.1 scored and 1.3 conceded per game, Al-Arabi SC 2.7 and 1.6, with the league averaging 1.78.
Defeat had not touched Al Mu'aidar in 7 games, having scored in 7 consecutive games. Defeat had not touched Al-Arabi SC in 5 games, having scored in 12 consecutive games.
The head-to-head ledger counts 5 games: 2 Al Mu'aidar wins, 2 for Al-Arabi SC, 1 draw, at 3.8 goals per meeting. This has been a host's fixture — the home side won 80% of the meetings. History points to goals: 80% of the meetings had three or more, and both sides scored in 60%.
Thani Bin Jassim Stadium staged the fixture, a ground that holds 21,175. Al Mu'aidar led 3-1 at the break, and the second half added 2 goals for the 3-3 full-time score.
Goal scorers
Al Mu'aidar: Ethyan González (8'), Fouad Saleh (11'), Albert Luque (45') · Al-Arabi SC: João Pedro Darros (7'), Pablo Sarabia (51'), Alexis Pérez (90')
Key stats
Possession: Al Mu'aidar 36% · Al-Arabi SC 64% · Total shots: 9-20 · On target: 5-6 · Corners: 0-7