The law of averages finally caught up with Police as they suffered their first loss in the Qatar League, going down to former champions Al Arabi in a five-set thriller.
The marathon 28-26, 25-17, 20-25, 29-31, 16-14 win helped Arabi displace Police from the top of standings.
Though both Arabi and Police have 23 points each from nine games, the former have a better set quotient.
El Jaish, who lost to champions Al Rayyan, too have the same number of points, but played a match extra. Rayyan are fourth on 22 with a game in hand.
The high-voltage contest at the Qatar Volleyball Association Indoor Hall was one of the best matches in the league.
Arabi had suffered only one loss (to Al Ahli) while Police were the only unbeaten side in the league, which features 11 teams.
There was a Cuban sub plot to the match as Arabi’s professional player Osmel Camejo was pitted against Police’s William Diaz. In the end, the former had the last laugh. He was well assisted by experienced players Ibrahim Saeed and Juma Faraj.