Doha: Al Sadd cleared the final hurdle on their way to defend the Emir Cup crown with a commanding 3-2 win against the reigning Qatar Stars League champs Al Rayyan in the first semi-final played at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium yesterday.
The winners proved to be the better side in almost every department throughout the game and led the first semi-final 3-1 at one stage, before a penalty in the fifth minute of stoppage time decided the final score of 3-2 in favour of Al Sadd.
The half-time score read 2-1 in favour of Al Sadd.
Al Rayyan’s captain and striker Rodrigo Tabata earned his team the perfect start when he netted the first goal of the game just 11 minutes after the kick-off, picking up the ball from Ayoup Mashhor just three metres away from the goal.
However Al Sadd made a stupendous comeback just seven minutes later when their key striker Hassan Khalid Al Haydos successfully netted one to square the score at one all. The star striker made no mistake as he beat Al Rayyan’s goalkeeper Omar Barry and the ball kissed the bottom left corner of the net.
Haydos put his side ahead of Al Rayyan when he added his second goal in the 20th minute of the game, when he struck a beauty from just inside the penalty box to beat the Al Rayyan goalkeeper once again. The ball flew over the hands of Barry and hit the inside edge of the bar before bouncing back into the net.
Jorge Fossati’s side looked tougher in the early stages of the second half, not allowing Al Sadd to impress much, and both sides struggled to score. However, in the 89th minute of the game, Baghdad Bounedjah made life harder for Al Rayyan when he was placed in the perfect spot inside the penalty box to pick up the ball and redirect it to the net to make it 3-1 in favour of Al Sadd.
Al Rayyan’s skipper Tabata was awarded a penalty in the fifth minute of stoppage time and the star striker made no mistake as the ball flew into the top right corner to make it 3-2, but his efforts were not enough to block Al Sadd’s way towards the final of the prestigious Emir Cup tournament.
Al Sadd will now look to defend their title against the winner of the second semi-final. The final will be played at the same venue on May 20.
The Peninsula
