Al Bidda’s Tiku Cosmas celebrates after scoring a goal against Al Sailiya.
Doha, Qatar: Tiku Cosmas struck twice as Al Bidda secured a 3-1 victory over Al Sailiya at Grand Hamad Stadium yesterday to book their place in the quarter-finals of the QSL Cup.
Al Markhiya and Al Shahania also advanced with narrow victories in their respective play-off matches, completing the quarter-final line-up for the tournament.
Al Bidda produced a strong performance against Al Sailiya, with Cosmas giving his side the lead in the 12th minute.
He doubled the advantage in the 51st minute to complete his brace before Cristian Del Bello added Al Bidda’s third goal in the 66th minute.
Salem Sultan pulled one back for Al Sailiya in the second minute of added time, but it proved to be only a consolation as the Peregrines were eliminated from the competition.
Al Bidda will now face Umm Salal in the quarter-finals. The Orange Fortress earned direct qualification to the last-eight stage after finishing second in the single-stage league table.
Meanwhile, Al Markhiya set up a quarter-final clash with Muaither following a 2-1 comeback win over Al Khor at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium.
Sofiane Hanni gave Al Khor the lead after converting a penalty in the 20th minute, with Lucas Gabriel equalising for Al Markhiya in the 43rd minute. Mouhamadou Naby Sarr then struck the winner in the 57th minute to seal the victory.
In another play-off, a late own goal sent Al Shahania through to the quarter-finals as they edged past Al Shamal 1-0 at Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium.
The contest remained evenly poised until the second minute of stoppage time when Al Shamal goalkeeper Oumar Barry inadvertently turned the ball into his own net.
He initially blocked Yousef Raisi’s long-range free kick, but the ball rebounded awkwardly as his attempted clearance struck the top of the right post and fell back over the line, sparking celebrations among Al Shahania players.
Al Shahania will now meet Al Rayyan, who topped the league-stage table, while the remaining quarter-final will see Al Arabi take on Al Waab.
