Chinthana Wasala, The Peninsula
Al Rayyan secured a narrow victory over Al Shamal, while leaders Al Sadd were held in a goalless draw by Al Wakrah as the 14th week of the Expo Stars League concluded yesterday.
In a closely contested match at the Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan overcame Al Shamal 2-1. Gabriel Pereira and Roger Guedes had almost secured a clean win for the eight-time former champions, scoring in the 66th and 71st minutes respectively, before Mohsen Al Yazidi netted a 97th-minute consolation goal.
The victory propelled Al Rayyan to 25 points as they solidified their position in fourth place, while Al Shamal remained in 10th place with 11 points.
The match commenced with high intensity from both sides. An early attempt by Al Shamal’s Moroccan midfielder Younes Belhanda was thwarted by Al Rayyan’s goalkeeper Fahd Younis. Despite multiple opportunities, Al Rayyan were initially unable to convert their chances into goals. Guedes came close in the 33rd minute, but his attempt narrowly missed the target.
Al Shamal’s Mahdi Salem almost scored an opener in the 45th minute when he unleashed a powerful strike that hit the crossbar.
As the second half unfolded, the game maintained its balance until Pereira broke the deadlock for Al Rayyan in the 66th minute, following an assist from Thiago Mendes.
Guedes extended their lead five minutes later, putting Al Rayyan in a commanding position.
Al Shamal appeared to have narrowed the gap in the 80th minute through Mohamed Omar, but the goal was disallowed for offside after consultation with VAR technology.
Despite a late goal from substitute Al Yazidi in stoppage time, Al Shamal were unable to overturn the deficit as Al Rayyan clinched their eighth win of the season.
Meanwhile, at Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah impressively held League leaders Al Sadd in a goalless draw. The match’s turning point came in the 70th minute when Al Sadd’s Akram Afif, fresh from being named Man of the Tournament at the AFC Asian Cup, missed a crucial penalty kick.
Despite Al Wakrah being down to 10 men after goalkeeper Saoud Al Khater was shown a red card, they managed to hold off Al Sadd’s advances, marking the second stalemate between the two teams this season.
After sharing the points, Al Sadd continued to lead the table with 32 points, closely followed by Al Wakrah with 28 points.
Also yesterday, Al Duhail and Al Arabi faced off at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium, where the match ended in a dramatic 2-2 draw.
Al Duhail appeared to be cruising to victory with Ibrahima Diallo and Al Moez Ali scoring in the 64th and 69th minutes, respectively. However, Al Arabi made an impressive comeback despite being reduced to 10 men after Muhammad Alaa’s red card as they found the back of the net twice in the closing stages of the game.
Ahmed Fathi scored their first goal in the 84th minute while Omar Al Somah scored one off a penalty in the 88th minute, securing a point for Al Arabi and keeping them in fifth place on goal difference, just ahead of Al Duhail.