Al Wakrah's goalkeeper Saoud Mubarak Al Khater (second left) celebrates with team-mates after a blocking a penalty during yesterday's quarter-final.
Doha: Al Wakrah and Al Sailiya yesterday claimed thrilling victories on penalties to reach the semi-finals of the 2020-21 season Ooredoo Cup.
In yesterday’s first quarter-final, Al Wakrah defeated Al Kharaitiyat 4-3 on penalties (1-1 after regular time) at the Al Arabi Stadium, while Al Sailiya edged Al Arabi 5-4 in sudden death (2-2 after regular time and 4-4 after tie-breaker) at Qatar SC Stadium.
Mohamed Benyettou put Al Wakrah ahead in the ninth minute, but Daniel Goumou equalised for Al Kharaitiyat in the 71st minute. With a 1-1 score-line, the match was straightaway pushed to the tie-breaker, as stipulated by the tournament rule in the event of a tie, without extra time.
Al Kharaitiyat’s Oumar Sako and Abdulmajid Anad missed their spot kicks. Al Wakrah won after all of their four players converted the penalties.
Lucas Mendes, Mohamed Benyettou, Salih Mohamed Al Yahr and Murad Naji scored from the penalty spot for Al Wakrah, while only Rachid Tiberkanine, Evans Mensah and Moustapha Alhaje could score from the spot for Al Kharaitiyat. Al Wakrah surprised the Al Kharaitiyat backline with a stunning goal. Benyettou picked up a short pass from a team-mate outside the Al Kharaitiyat box and moved a couple of steps. Finding a narrow angle to work on, Benyettou quickly launched a fierce drive that smashed into the goalpost to the left of keeper Shehab Mamdouh.
The ball hit the post and crashed into the net as Al Wakrah celebrated the early goal in absolute jubilation.
Close to the half-hour mark, Mensah, under pressure from four Al Wakrah players, swivelled on the edge of the box and fired a slick drive that flew agonisingly over the bar.
Al Sailiya and Al Arabi players fight for the ball during their quarter-final, yesterday.
Soon came the equaliser through Goumou’s spectacular header. Khaldoun Ismail Mousa charged into the Al Wakrah box and slipped in a short cross for Abdulmajid Anad to set up an unmarked Goumou, who jumped high into the air, a few feet away from the keeper, and nodded the ball home.
Meanwhile, Abdulaziz Al Ansari (24th minute) and Ibrahim Nasser Kalla (33rd) scored for Al Arabi, while Ahmed Hammoudan (78th) and substitute Abdulqadir Ilyas (86th) scored for Al Sailiya in regular time. In the tie-breaker, Tiago Bezerra, Ilyas, Serigne Mbodji and Majdi Siddiq scored for Al Sailiya, while Fahad Waad’s shot was blocked by Al Arabi goalkeeper Sataa Al Abbasi.
For Al Arabi, Hamdi Harbaoui, Marc Martinez, Gaser Yahia and Sebastian Soria converted from the spot, whereas Ahmed Abotrika was off-target (even with his retake of a shot), thus forcing the sudden death.
After Al Sailiya’s Abdulla Al Marri found the target, Al Arabi’s Mohammed Bader Sayyar’s shot was blocked by Al Sailiya goalkeeper Amine Lecomte with his leg, signalling a famous victory for The Peregrines.
