Al Sadd's Agustín Soria and Al Duhail's Marco Verratti (left) vie for the ball.
DOHA: Defending champions Al Sadd and Al Duhail played out a goalless but gripping clash while Yacine Brahimi’s stoppage-time penalty secured 10-man Al Gharafa a thrilling 3-2 victory over Al Rayyan in the Qatar Stars League (QSL) yesterday.
While the stalemate at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium ended without goals, the heavyweight clash lived up to expectations, with both Al Sadd and Al Duhail creating a flurry of chances.
Al Sadd had the better of the first half, while Al Duhail looked more dangerous after the break as the arch-rivals shared the spoils and moved to eight points each in the standings.
Although Al Duhail controlled possession for long spells, it was Al Sadd who posed the greater attacking threat in the opening period, registering five shots on target.
Akram Afif was at the heart of Al Sadd’s forward play, nearly setting up an early breakthrough with a well-measured cross to Roberto Firmino, whose header went wide.
Afif was later denied a spectacular goal by a last-ditch block from Jean-Charles Castelletto, after lifting a clever effort past the advancing goalkeeper Bautista Burke from 15 yards out.
The Qatari star came close again just before the interval, sending a curling free-kick narrowly over the bar as the first half ended goalless.
Al Gharafa's Yacine Brahimi shoots to score off a penalty.
Al Duhail came out stronger after the restart, with Krzysztof Piatek heading just wide from an inviting ball by Adil Boulbina.
Meshaal Barsham then produced a vital save to deny Luis Alberto from the centre of the box, while Burke did well at the other end to palm away a strike from Firmino.
Barsham was called into action again with a diving save to stop Giovani Henrique, as both sides upped the tempo.
Luis Alberto and Boulbina also missed promising chances as the opportunities kept coming in an open contest.
However, the intensity dipped midway through the second half, and despite their efforts, both teams were forced to settle for a point apiece.
Brahimi’s stoppage-time penalty seals 3-2 victory
Earlier at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan dominated possession, but it was Al Gharafa who capitalised on their chances with clinical execution, securing a hard-fought victory despite being reduced to 10 men at a crucial point of the tense game.
Dame Traore opened the scoring for the Cheetahs in the 17th minute, powering home a header from the center of the box off Brahimi’s free kick.
Al Rayyan drew level in the 42nd minute when Roger Guedes slid in from close range to finish off a precise ball from Aleksandar Mitrovic.
However, Al Gharafa regained the lead just two minutes later as Ahmed Al Ganehi fired in after a brilliant assist from Saifeldeen Fadlalla.
Al Rayyan intensified their attack in the second half and had a penalty appeal turned down in the 76th minute after Jang Hyun-soo was judged not to have handled the ball.
Six minutes later, they were awarded a penalty following a VAR review for a dangerous foul by Fabricio Diaz on Gabriel Pereira – a challenge that also saw Diaz sent off.
Guedes stepped up and clinically dispatched the penalty into the top left corner, notching his second goal of the night.
In the first minute of stoppage time, Hazem Shehata conceded a penalty for a foul on Al Ganehi, and Brahimi made no mistake from the spot, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to restore Al Gharafa’s lead.
Al Rayyan pushed relentlessly and thought they had rescued a point with a last-gasp equaliser from Andre Amaro, but the goal was ruled out for a foul on Al Gharafa keeper Khalifa Ababacar.
The victory lifted Al Gharafa to 13 points, putting them at the top of the table alongside Al Shamal and Qatar, who are set to face off tomorrow. Al Rayyan remain on 10 points.
QSL Round 6 Fixtures
Results
Al Rayyan 2-3 Al Gharafa
Al Sadd 0-0 Al Duhail
Today
Al Wakrah vs Umm Salal
At Khalifa International Stadium (6pm)
Al Shahania vs Al Ahli
At Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium (8pm)
Tomorrow
Al Sailiya vs Al Arabi
At Al Bayt Stadium (6pm)
Qatar SC vs Al Shamal
At Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium (8pm)
