Michael Olunga maintained his excellent scoring form by netting a goal and providing an assist, earning a man of the match accolades, propelling his team to victory over league leaders Al Sadd in a thrilling four-goal encounter last night.
Just days after his remarkable hat-trick in the final of a four-nations friendly tournament secured a long-awaited trophy for the Kenya national team, Olunga once again proved hhis mettle. He also bagged a brace in the semi-final against Malawi, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer with five goals.
Almoez Ali, captain of Al Duhail, put them ahead in the 40th minute after previously missing a penalty. However, on the stroke of halftime, Akram Afif leveled the score for Al Sadd with a clinical finish from Gonzalo Platta’s low cross, bringing his season tally to 23 goals, comfortably topping the scoring charts.
The second half commenced evenly, with both teams squandering chances until Olunga, with his impeccable positioning and predatory instincts, unleashed a close-range shot, leaving the Al Sadd goalkeeper stranded and boosting his season tally to 12 goals. Five minutes later, he provided an exquisite cross for Sultan Al Brake, sealing the victory for his club against the league leaders.
Michael Olunga has featured in 15 games this season for Al Duhail, starting in 14 of them and averaging 82 minutes per game, underscoring his importance to the team. In those 15 games, he has scored 12 goals and provided one assist, averaging a goal every 103 minutes, equating to 0.8 goals per game.
Al Duhail currently occupies the sixth position, 18 points adrift of the table-toppers, with only three games remaining. Their hopes of participating in the Asian Champions League have been dashed.
