Doha: Al Gharafa maintained their lead at the top of the Doha Bank Stars League, at the conclusion of the first half of the season. Al Gharafa actually lost this week, 0-3 to Al Shahania, but they still managed to remain top. The loss did however cost them the chance to extend the gap over their closest pursuers, Al Shamal, to seven points, after the second-placed side were themselves beaten 0-3 by Al Sadd, who in turn reduced the gap to the leaders to five points.

According to Qatar News Agency, Qatar SC suffered their fourth consecutive defeat after Al Duhail secured their fourth win of the season with a 1-0 victory, while a 2-2 draw dominated the traditional Qatari football derby between Al Rayyan and Al Arabi.

Al Gharafa missed a rare opportunity to pull clear at the top after losing, bringing an end to the winning streak of coach Pedro Martinez's side and marking only their second loss of the season. Their tally remained at 25 points, four ahead of their nearest challengers.

For their part, Al Shahaniya overcame a run of poor results and claimed their second win of the season under Spanish coach Santiago Denia, although they remained in last place with seven points. The victory marked Al Shahaniya's fourth win over Al Gharafa in 11 league encounters, compared with five wins for Al Gharafa and two draws.

Al Sadd, the reigning champions and record title holders with 18 league titles, recorded their second win under new head coach Roberto Mancini in his second match in charge. The match saw Spanish striker Rafa Mujica shine as he scored his first hat-trick of the season, enabling Al Sadd to register their sixth win of the campaign and fourth in a row, lifting them to third place as they continue their title defense. It was also Al Sadd's twelfth victory over Al Shamal in their last 15 league meetings.

Despite retaining second place, Al Shamal failed to secure a second home win in their third league match at Al Shamal Stadium, suffering their first home defeat under Spanish coach David Prats. Al Shamal were hampered by the absence of their Algerian top scorer Baghdad Bounedjah, as they suffered their second loss of the season and missed the chance to close the gap on the leaders.

A 2-2 draw between Al Arabi and Al Rayyan saw the latter take their tally to 20 points, level with third-placed Al Sadd on goal difference. Al Arabi meanwhile, raised their points total to 17, placing them sixth under Romanian coach Cosmin Contra in his fifth official match in charge after replacing Spain's Pablo Amo.