QSL league leaders Al Rayyan put in a professional display to defeat Umm Salal 2-0 Umm Salal at Al Gharafa stadium on Thursday evening. Goals from Korean midfielder Koh Myong-jin and a sixteenth goal of the season from Captain Rodrego Tabata ensured all three points for the Lions.

Umm Salal started the tie on the brighter note, with new signing Sanzhar Tursunov linking up with frontman Yannick Sagbo. Despite being on the back foot, it was Rayyan who made the first chance of note. However Sabstian Soria’s header failed to bother Salal stopper Baba Malick.

Umm Salal where on the front foot for most of the first half, however they were unable to convert their dominance into a goal. The closest the Orange Fortress came to opening the scoring was though Ismael Mahmoud, however the lively midfielder frustratingly blazed his effort over the bar from close range.

Al Rayyan found their way back into the tie with a few chances at the end of the first half, with the best effort falling to defender Nathan. However the Rayyan stalwart was unable to trouble Baba Malick from such a tight angle.

Al Rayyan opened the scoring within minutes of the restart of the second half. Korean International Koh Myong-jin capitalized on a host of defensive errors to slot into the bottom right hand corner of the goal. Umm Salal head coach was rightly annoyed with his side, who failed to clear the ball on three separate occasions before Koh burst through on goal.

The game did threaten to boil over at times, and it was to the credit of referee Saoud Al Athba  who marshaled the players well throughout the match. Al Rayyan started to dominate possession, and doubled their lead in controversial circumstances.

Captain Rodrigo was adjudged to be bundled over in the penalty area by defender Rami Fayez, and the referee pointed to the spot. Rayyan’s talismanic captain stepped up to dispatch the ball past Baba Malick.

With the game effectively over, Rayyan maintained possession reducing Umm Salal to long distance efforts. Al Rayyan now have a 14 point lead at the top of the QSL standings,
especially with rivals El Jaish dropping points it will be considered a step closer to their first falcon shield since the 1994/1995 season.