Players of Al Arabi and Al Sailiya vie for ball possession during their QNB Stars League match at Al Arabi Stadium in Doha yesterday.
DOHA: Former champions Al Rayyan yesterday struggled past a feisty Al Shahaniya side, posting a 1-0 win after a goal by captain Rodrigo Tabata in the first half.
Playing at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, venue of their 5-0 loss against Al Sadd last week, Al Rayyan relied on a 40th minute goal by Tabata to seal their narrow win in QNB Stars League.
In the 4th minute of the round 7 clash, Argentine striker Vazquez Luciano drilled a low ball from the edge of the Al Rayyan box but his shot was quickly snapped up by keeper Oumar Barry in what was the first serious attempt from the visitors. By the 10th minute, Al Rayyan racked up three consecutive corners but failed to produce goal-threatening move as Al Shahaniya backline remained firm.
In the 13th minute of the fast-paced match, Mohammed Alaeddin found feared striker Tabata unmarked in the Al Shahaniya box but the Al Rayyan captain wasn’t allowed space to shoot by keeper Ahmad Al-Amri who quickly punched the loopy ball away for a corner.
Three minutes later, Kesse Amangoua of Al Shahaniya walked off the pitch with a pulled hamstring forcing a substitute change. Substitute Saad Hussain walked in to replace Kesse after two minutes following a delayed warm-up.
In the 23rd minute, striker Daniel Goumou trapped a long loopy cross inside the Al Shahaniya box. Goumo aimed for the goal but good pressure from Reza Najafi saw the striker shoot just above the Al Shahaniya crossbar. Five minutes from the first-half whistle, Tabata opened the scoring for Al Rayyan.
The veteran forward latched on to a lose ball following an indirect free-kick, slipped past an Al Shahaniya defender before unleashing a curling low shot from the edge of the box. The ball went through the legs of Younes Darwish and beat keeper Al-Amri before crashing into the net with a late dip.
In the 76th minute, Luciano swiveled inside the Al Rayyan box - following a pass from team mate Mostafa Jafri - but his low shot from close range was well grabbed by keeper Barry.
In the second match, Al Sailiya stuck once in each half to register a 2-0 win over Al Arabi at Al Arabi stadium yesterday.
In the 10th minute, Al Arabi’s Mohamed Salah Elneel swooped on an aerial cross off a corner kick, but ended up with a feeble deflection that was easily stopped by Al Sailiya keeper Saoud Al-Khater in the first real threatening move by the home side.
Three minutes later, Nadir Belhadj unleashed a powerful shot from outside the Al Arabi box but his shot was smartly stopped by keeper Masoud Mohmad Zarayi.
Belhadj, the former Al Sadd winger, produced pace on his left-footed drive but the ball was quickly stopped by the alert home keeper.
In the 20th minute, George Kwesi was shown a yellow card for producing a rough tackle on Abdel Rahman Mansour of Al Arabi. In the 23rd minute, Al Sailiya grabbed the lead in dramatic fashion. After a couple of players collided and crashed to the pitch near the Al Arabi box,
Abdulqadir Adam quickly placed the ball for a free kick and slipped a pass to Rachid with Al Arabi players still recovering from the foul.
Rachid - with no marker in sight - slipped the ball past keeper Zarayi with a left-footed drive from inside the box. The referee allowed the goal though Al Arabi players questioned the move.
In the second half, Al Sailiya put the issue beyond doubt by scoring the second goal in the 87th minute with Rachid again getting his name on the scorers list.
