Friday’s 18.10 match saw Al Rayyan beat Muaither SC 1-0 at Al Gharafa’s Thani Bin Jassim Stadium as the reigning QSL champions increased the pressure on the league leaders and kept their unbeaten record alive.
Phillipe Birol’s Muaither SC side, who climbed out of the relegation zone after registering three straight wins in the league before tonight’s match, started brightly and had the lion’s share of possession in the first ten minutes. Despite dominating possession, Muaither failed to create any clear cut chances. The first real chance of the game fell to Al Rayyan’s talismanic attacking midfielder and Captain, Rodrigo Tabata, whose shot from 12 yards out after 11 minutes of play narrowly glided over the crossbar thanks to a last minute block from The Stallions’ number 23, Hamad Mansour.
Muaither’s best first half chance fell to their number 10, Ayoub Ouadrassi, who found himself on the end of a lovely chipped ball that made its way over Al Rayyan’s back four. Despite being just six yards from goal, his header didn’t test Al Rayyan’s goalkeeper and it sailed wide over the cross bar.
Al Rayyan settled into a rhythm in the latter half of the first 45 minutes of play and began dominating the middle of the park. The Lions, however, were unable to create any clear cut chances and despite heading into half time boasting 65% of possession and 11 corner kicks, they didn’t manage to test Muaither’s goalkeeper.
The second half started much like the first half ended, with Al Rayyan dominating possession but neither team creating any clear cut chances. The first real chance of the second half came on the 63rd minute when Muaither’s Jordanian international, Mahmoud Za'tara, found himself on the end of a perfectly weighted through ball and one-on-one with the Lions’ goalkeeper. Despite striking a fierce shot on target, it was straight at Al Rayyan’s goalkeeper and was deflected out for a corner.
Al Rayyan went straight up the other end of the pitch and their number 9, ex FC Barcelona and La Liga star Sergio Garcia, nearly scored with his head. That chance opened up a decent attacking spell for Al Rayyan which saw Garcia, Soria and Tabata all test Muaither’s goalkeeper, forcing some fine saves. Al Rayyan’s sustained pressure eventually paid off and on the 77th minute when Tabata scored from three yards out after some scrappy defending to make it 1-0 and take home all three points.
The other 18:10 KO this evening saw title contenders El Jaish take on Al Kharaitiyat. In a scrappy encounter, the two teams were separated by a solitary goal courtesy of El Jaish’s Uzbek International, Sardor Rashidov. Al Kharaitiyat, under the guidance of their new coach Ahmed Al Ajlani, could not find the net despite providing a resilient performance against a very tough opposition.
After a tactical battle for most of the first half, El Jaish scored the only goal of the game in the 38th minute. Sardor Rashidov scored his fourth goal of the season thanks to an assist by Aboubaker Essa, who made an incisive pass to the unmarked striker. The Uzbek international finished with a left-footed curler after he was one-on-one with the goalkeeper, Ahmed Sufyan. Kharaitiyat had a chance to level the score line however in the 41st minute but Abdelhadi Ameen’s shot came off the woodwork.
In an uneventful second half, the Soldiers controlled most of the ball and had more chances but could not convert them. The closest they came to scoring in the second half was when Romarinho’s free kick was saved by the keeper at the near post.
Inside the last ten minutes of the game, Kharaitiyat had another chance to end the game with a point but Domingos’s header from a free kick could not ripple the back of the net. Sabri Lamouchi’c men held on for a vital win as they keep their position at the top of the table. Kharaitiyat, on the other hand, have some work to do as they languish in the drop zone with only four points from eight games.
Phillipe Birol’s Muaither SC side, who climbed out of the relegation zone after registering three straight wins in the league before tonight’s match, started brightly and had the lion’s share of possession in the first ten minutes. Despite dominating possession, Muaither failed to create any clear cut chances. The first real chance of the game fell to Al Rayyan’s talismanic attacking midfielder and Captain, Rodrigo Tabata, whose shot from 12 yards out after 11 minutes of play narrowly glided over the crossbar thanks to a last minute block from The Stallions’ number 23, Hamad Mansour.
Muaither’s best first half chance fell to their number 10, Ayoub Ouadrassi, who found himself on the end of a lovely chipped ball that made its way over Al Rayyan’s back four. Despite being just six yards from goal, his header didn’t test Al Rayyan’s goalkeeper and it sailed wide over the cross bar.
Al Rayyan settled into a rhythm in the latter half of the first 45 minutes of play and began dominating the middle of the park. The Lions, however, were unable to create any clear cut chances and despite heading into half time boasting 65% of possession and 11 corner kicks, they didn’t manage to test Muaither’s goalkeeper.
The second half started much like the first half ended, with Al Rayyan dominating possession but neither team creating any clear cut chances. The first real chance of the second half came on the 63rd minute when Muaither’s Jordanian international, Mahmoud Za'tara, found himself on the end of a perfectly weighted through ball and one-on-one with the Lions’ goalkeeper. Despite striking a fierce shot on target, it was straight at Al Rayyan’s goalkeeper and was deflected out for a corner.
Al Rayyan went straight up the other end of the pitch and their number 9, ex FC Barcelona and La Liga star Sergio Garcia, nearly scored with his head. That chance opened up a decent attacking spell for Al Rayyan which saw Garcia, Soria and Tabata all test Muaither’s goalkeeper, forcing some fine saves. Al Rayyan’s sustained pressure eventually paid off and on the 77th minute when Tabata scored from three yards out after some scrappy defending to make it 1-0 and take home all three points.
The other 18:10 KO this evening saw title contenders El Jaish take on Al Kharaitiyat. In a scrappy encounter, the two teams were separated by a solitary goal courtesy of El Jaish’s Uzbek International, Sardor Rashidov. Al Kharaitiyat, under the guidance of their new coach Ahmed Al Ajlani, could not find the net despite providing a resilient performance against a very tough opposition.
After a tactical battle for most of the first half, El Jaish scored the only goal of the game in the 38th minute. Sardor Rashidov scored his fourth goal of the season thanks to an assist by Aboubaker Essa, who made an incisive pass to the unmarked striker. The Uzbek international finished with a left-footed curler after he was one-on-one with the goalkeeper, Ahmed Sufyan. Kharaitiyat had a chance to level the score line however in the 41st minute but Abdelhadi Ameen’s shot came off the woodwork.
In an uneventful second half, the Soldiers controlled most of the ball and had more chances but could not convert them. The closest they came to scoring in the second half was when Romarinho’s free kick was saved by the keeper at the near post.
Inside the last ten minutes of the game, Kharaitiyat had another chance to end the game with a point but Domingos’s header from a free kick could not ripple the back of the net. Sabri Lamouchi’c men held on for a vital win as they keep their position at the top of the table. Kharaitiyat, on the other hand, have some work to do as they languish in the drop zone with only four points from eight games.
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