Asian Player of the Year Akram Afif made the difference as Al Sadd defeated Al Rayyan 2-1 in the Qatar Clasico in Week 9 of the 2024-2025 season Ooredoo Stars League at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium of Al Sadd club on Thursday.

The Wolves came from a goal down after Mahmoud Trezeguet had given Al Rayyan the lead in the 67th minute and scored two beautiful goals through Mohammed Waad (69th minute) and Akram (90th minute) to increase their points to 18, while The Lions remained on 10 points.

The top-of-the-bill Qatar Clasico lived up to its expectations as it has always done with its frills and thrills from both sides of the divide.

The Lions were the better side for most parts of early minutes of the first half and they had opportunities for an early lead that they were not taking advantage of by their forward line. Gabriel Pereira had his left-footed shot from outside the box saved in the third minute, while their leading scorer Roger Guedes fluffed an opportunity to give them the lead in the 17th minute after firing wide a loose ball from a mistake by Al Sadd goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham.

The Wolves, who had their star player and just-crowned Asian Player of the Year Akram Afif on the bench, began to grow into the game as the clock ticked on, but Al Rayyan seemed determined to be the more aggressive of the duo as they maintained their pressure on Felix Sanchez’s men.

Al Sadd’s Rafa Mujica had his left-footed attempt from a through ball by Cristo Gonzalez blocked in the 45th minute, while Guedes missed arguably the best chance of the half for Al Rayyan in three minutes of added time when his attempt from a quick throw went too high with only the goalkeeper to beat as the half ended in a goalless stalemate.

The second half seemed more balanced, with Al Sadd appearing to have found their footing and playing with more passion than the previous half.

The Wolves’ Mohamed Camara had the team’s first attempt in the half within one minute of play, but his right-footed shot from outside the box went just a bit too high.

The coming-on-board of Afif in the 61st minute, replacing Yusuf Abdurisag, added more bite to Al Sadd’s attack and the star player’s impact on the match was instantly felt with his dazzling skills and amazing passes.

Despite the Qatar international’s heroics, it was Al Rayyan who got the opening goal in the 67th minute through Egyptian player Trezeguet, who skillfully evaded Al Sadd defender Camara after collecting a pass from Gabriel Pereira before unleashing a right-footed shot from the right side of the box that went beyond the onrushing goalkeeper Barsham.

The Lions’ lead, however, did not last for too long as Afif stamped his authority on the match by setting up Waad for the equaliser two minutes later to further add fervour to the already-exciting match.

Afif turned from an assist provider to a goal scorer in the 89th minute when he finished off a move he began its orchestration some few metres away from the centreline as he exchanged some sublime passes with Waad before chipping the ball over Al Rayyan goalkeeper Fahad Younes to give Al Sadd the lead.

The goal, initially disputed, however, stood after a lengthy VAR review as The Wolves tamed The Lions and ran away with the maximum points in the thrilling first leg of Qatar Clasico.