Doha: Al Gharafa yesterday stormed into the semi-finals of the Ooredoo Cup after recording a 4-2 win over Al Sadd at the Qatar SC Stadium.
Sofiane Hanni (27, 83), Koo Ja-Cheol (48) and Othman Al Yahri (86) were on target for the winners of the third quarter-final yesterday.
Rodrigo Tabata (52) and Santi Cazorla (73) were the scorers for Al Sadd, the reigning champions. Al Sadd recovered from a 0-2 deficit, but late strikes from Hanni and Al Yahri helped Al Gharafa to a commanding win.
Al Gharafa grabbed the lead when Hanni, after a long cross from the centerline, ran for a few metres before calmly slotting the ball between the goalkeeper’s legs.
Three minutes into the second half, Al Gharafa jumped to a 2-0 lead.
Yousef Muftah chipped in with a cross from the right flank and Koo easily tapped the ball into the net.
Before long, Tabata headed home a long cross from Saoud Ibrahim as Al Sadd finally managed to get a goal.
Al Sadd equalised through Cazorla who scored off a penalty.
Al Gharafa again surged ahead when Hanni scored off a penalty as Othman then drilled one from close range for Al Gharafa’s fourth goal.
Elsewhere, at the Grand Hamad Stadium, Al Rayyan cleared the quarter-finals hurdle with a 1-0 win over Al Khor.
Abdul Rahman Al Harazi scored the winning goal in the 42nd minute.
In the semi-finals, Al Sailiya and Al Wakrah will join yesterday's winners.
