Michael Olunga’s Al Arabi battle to draw ex-club Al Duhail
By Luke Oluoch, February 22, 2026Michael Olunga marked his long-awaited return to his old club, Al Duhail, and Al Arabi battled to a 1-1 draw on Saturday, February 21, 2026, in a Qatar Super League tie.
Olunga, who spent a four-and-a-half-year spell with the Doha side before departing in July 2025, started on the substitute bench for the tie on his return to the 10,000-seater Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, where he announced his name to the nation’s top-tier league.
Cosmin Contra’s team started the match well, with Cameroonian Toko Ekambi scoring the opener after 24 minutes.
Off the bench
The lead, however, ended when Al Hail scored into his own net for an unfortunate own goal in the 65th minute.
Olunga entered the fray just after the break, coming on for Ekambi.
Despite his efforts, he was unable to see the club secure a victory over his former team.
The tied outcome now leaves the side dropping a rank lower to sixth position, with 24 points. Duhail comes close at eight with 21.
Meanwhile, the clash stretches Al Arabi’s struggles for the season that has also seen the Kenyan fail to score for the club in the year in five league games.
The striker and Al Arabi now shift focus to the Qatari Super Cup quarterfinal clash, where they face Al Waab on Thursday, February 24, 2026.
The Harambee Stars skipper has been in scintillating form in the cup run, having scored a brace in the previous round, and will be keen to continue his scoring run, which seems to have eluded him on the league front.
The Kenyan first set foot in Qatar in 2021 when he joined from Kashiwa Reysol in Japan. He went on to steer Duhail to several major honours, including Qatar Stars League titles and multiple cup trophies.
During time, he netted an incredible 130 goals, becoming the club’s all-time top scorer and etching his name in the club’s folklore for his influential role in their domestic and continental campaigns