Olunga nets brace as Al Duhail edge Al Arabi

Michael Olunga

Al Duhail's Kenyan striker Michael Olunga in action against Al Arabi in a Qatar Stars League match on January 08, 2022. 

Photo credit: Pool

What you need to know:

  • He scored his first goal in the fourth minute after turning Aron Gunnarsson inside out just inside the box before unleashing a powerful shot past goalkeeper Salaa Al-Abbasi
  • The 27-year-old Olunga made it 2-0 in the 48th minute after connecting to Mohamed Sayyar's cross from the right early in the second half
  • Olunga has now opened a four-goal gap on his closest challenger in the top scorer’s race, Al Sadd’s Baghdad Bounedjah who is away at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon with Algeria

Kenyan captain Michael Olunga improved his goals tally in the 2021/22 Qatar Stars League to 15 after inspiring Al Duhail to a 2-0 win over Al Arabi at the Grand Hamad Stadium on Saturday.

He scored his first goal in the fourth minute after turning Aron Gunnarsson inside out just inside the box before unleashing a powerful shot past goalkeeper Salaa Al-Abbasi.

The 27-year-old Olunga made it 2-0 in the 48th minute after connecting to Mohamed Sayyar's cross from the right early in the second half.

This match was expected to be a difficult one for Al Duhail with their opponents ranked fourth on the log.

But things worked well for Coach Luis Castro’s side who are now two points behind leaders Al Sadd who have however played two matches less than Al Duhail’s 13.  

Olunga’s presence continues to be felt in Qatari football after emerging the 2021 Asian Champions League’s Golden Boot winner with nine goals, topping the list of scorers for Qatari clubs in 2021 with 33 goals in all competitions, and was voted the Player of the month for October/November 2021.

Olunga has now opened a four-goal gap on his closest challenger in the top scorer’s race, Al Sadd’s Baghdad Bounedjah who is away at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon with Algeria.

Bounedjah bagged the league’s top scorer’s gong in the 2020/21 season with 21 goals. It appears Olunga will make him sweat this season if he is to retain that accolade.

Al Duhail’s next league assignment in the 12-team competition is away to Al Gharafa on January 13.

Al Sadd leads with 31 points from 11 matches followed by Al Duhail (29), Al Gharafa (23) and Al Arabi (20). The three have played 13 matches each.