Amir Cup champions Al Arabi edged Muaither 2-1 while last edition’s finalists Umm Salal thrashed Al Wakrah 5-0 as Ooredoo Cup kicked off on Saturday. In other Group A match, Qatar SC started their campaign with a 2-1 victory over Al Ahli.
Meanwhile, Al Sadd withdrew from the Ooredoo Cup citing unavailability of 21 players, who are either representing Qatar senior team or Asian Cup U-23 qualifiers in South Korea or are injured. Al Sadd offered an apology in a statement: “The club has submitted an official letter to the Qatar Stars League management, expressing its apology for not participating in the tournament this year. This decision is due to the call-ups for 21 players to various national teams, in addition to several players being sidelined with long-term injuries.”
Earlier, Al Arabi started their campaign with a coming back from a goal down to defeat Muaither at the Grand Hamad Stadium. Al Arabi, last season’s semi-finalists, overcame their opponents, thanks to goals from Rami Suhail (18th minute) and Abdulla al-Muraisi (34th minute) after falling behind in the 16th minute to Mohamed Salah El Neel’s goal.
An action from the Ooredoo Cup match between Al Arabi and Muaither at the Grand Hamad Stadium on Saturday.
