A stoppage-time strike from Younes Belhanda saw Al Shamal upstage Al Rayyan 2-1 in Week 10 of the 2024-2025 season Ooredoo Stars League at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium of Al Rayyan club on Friday, November 22, 2024.

The closely-contested match saw Al Rayyan move into the lead in added time of opening half through Roger Guedes (45+2 minute), but Al Shamal kept challenging and were rewarded with two late goals as Mohammed Khaled Al Nuaimi (83rd minute) and Younes Belhanda (90+7 minute) struck to shock their rivals.

The thrilling win also moved Al Shamal into sixth place in the rankings with 13 points, while Al Rayyan remain in eighth spot with 10 points.

Al Rayyan looked to make early inroads, but in the 11th minute a Guedes header went little wide of the target on right.

There on, it was a strong tussle as both sides, while looking to attack, did not give away much while defending stoutly.

In the 32nd minute, Al Rayyan’s Julien De Sart tried to break the shackles with a long-ranger, but his kick saw the ball go away from the left post.

Eventually, it was Guedes who seized the chance in opening half’s added time after Al Shamal defenders failed to keep a long ball in check. Guedes ran in and scored coolly to give his side the lead.

The second session saw a lot of midfield tussles, but either side could not force their way.

The tale turned Al Shamal’s way as Mohammed Khalid produced a brilliant header sizing up a superb cross from Omid Ebrahimi to send the team’s fans into raptures at the stadium (1-1).

Al Rayyan now felt the urgency as they scrambled to strike, but two minutes later a Trezeguet kick just went over the crossbar.

With players now feeling the heat, there was a heated exchange between Abdulaziz Mohamed Hassan of Al Shamal and Mahmoud Ahmed Hassan of Al Rayyan. The referee first flashed a red card against Abdulaziz, but later withdrew it following a VAR check.

Regaining their composure, Al Shamal struck again and spectacularly as Baghdad Bounedjah made a fine soft turning pass towards Belhanda to strike from the left (2-1).