Alkass Digital
Al Rayyan came back from a goal down to defeat Al Gharafa 2-1 in the semifinal of Qatar Cup 2024 at the Khalifa International Stadium on Wednesday.
Achraf Bencharki netted both goals in the 78th and 86th minutes after Seydou Sano had given Al Gharafa the lead in the 62nd minute.
Al Rayyan now advanced into the final, where they will face Al Wakrah who defeated Al Sadd on penalties in the other semifinal.
The highly-anticipated match lived up to its billing, with both teams giving a good account of themselves in their determined effort to reach the final of the prestigious tournament.
After a strong opening, Al Rayyan suffered an injury blow, with Thiago Mendes having to limp off the field in the 11th minute following a possible harmstring injury suffered while attempting to make a pass. The Brazilian was replaced by Rodrigo Tabata, who ensured that the momentum was sustained with daring runs and pinpoint passes.
But as much as both teams tried, none of them was able to break the deadlocks in the first half as both goalkeepers rose to the occasion when called upon with fantastic saves. The forwards, however, could have also done better, as many begging chances were not converted, as was expected, before the referee signalled for the half-time break.
The Cheetahs came out the more determined of the duo in the second half with their hard-pressing play, forcing The Lions to be on the defensive for most of the early minutes of the half.
Al Gharafa’s Ahmed Alaaeldin had a brilliant opportunity to give his side the lead in the 55th minute after a darting overlapping run that ended with a right-footed stunning shot that was, however, brilliantly parried out for a corner kick by goalkeeper Fahad Younes.
With sustained pressure from coach Pedro Martins’ men, Al Rayyan’s defence eventually gave way in the 63rd minute, with Sano capitalizing on goalkeeper Younes’ mishandling of a high ball from Yacine Brahimi to nod home the opening goal. The goal was, however, subjected to a VAR review, which ended up being sustained.
Undaunted by the setback, Al Rayyan got back to work in search of the equaliser which came their way in the 79th minute through an unmarked Bencharki, who effortlessly nodded home a corner kick from Tabata.
Al Gharafa thought they have restored their lead in the 82nd minute, once again through Alaaeldin, but it was ruled out by VAR for handball in the build-up to the goal.
Five minutes later, Al Rayyan took the lead, with Bencharki taking advantage of a poor clearance by goalkeeper Khalifa Ababacar to rifle home a right-footed thunderbolt of a shot that sent their teeming fans into wide jubilation.
The situation seemed to have jolted Al Gharafa, who responded by making a double substitution in the 90th minute, with Ahmed Al Janahi coming in for Sano, while Hamed Ismail came in to replace Abdalla Yousif in an attempt to rally for a late equaliser.
Despite their repeated efforts, Al Gharafa, however, found The Lions’ wall of defence seemingly impenetrable again as the referee finally called it a day, with Al Rayyan advancing into the final.