Olunga's double delight overshadowed by Al Duhail's ACL group stage woes

In a thrilling encounter against FC Istiklol from Tajikistan, Kenyan international Michael Olunga showcased his goal-scoring prowess by netting a brace for Qatari side Al Duhail. The match, played this evening, saw Olunga's impressive headers find the back of the net in the 47th and 89th minutes, contributing to his team's win in the Asian Champions League.

Olunga's goals marked his third in the current Asian Champions League season, but more significantly, they took his overall tally for Al Duhail to an impressive 18 goals in the competition, making him the top scorer for the Qatari side.

Despite Olunga's stellar performance, the victory did little to improve Al Duhail's chances of advancing from the group stage. The Qatari champions currently sit on four points, trailing behind Iranian side Persepolis by three points. Persepolis is set to face Al-Nassr in Monday's late kick-off, and the outcome of that match will have a significant impact on Al Duhail's fate in the competition.

With only one game remaining in the group stage, Al Duhail's maximum attainable points stand at seven. To advance, they not only need to outscore Persepolis in their final match but also rely on favorable results from other fixtures. It's a challenging scenario for the Qatar champions, considering their recent struggles in the competition.

Al Duhail's disappointing run began with a goalless draw against FC Istiklol, followed by a narrow 1-0 defeat to Persepolis. The challenges continued with back-to-back losses to a formidable Al-Nassr side led by none other than Cristiano Ronaldo, with scorelines of 4-3 and 3-2. This downturn in form is a stark contrast to their performance in the previous season when they reached the semi-finals of the prestigious tournament.