Al Rayyan produced a dominant second-half performance to defeat Saudi Arabia’s Al Shabab 3-0 and lift the Gulf Club Champions League trophy at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium.
The final remained finely balanced for an hour before the match turned decisively in Al Rayyan’s favour after Al Shabab were reduced to ten men when Belgian winger Yannick Carrasco was sent off for a second booking in the 59th minute.
David Garcia broke the deadlock two minutes later, while Aleksandar Mitrovic and Roger Guedes added further goals late on to seal an emphatic victory for The Lions and cap a memorable night in front of their supporters.
Both teams created promising openings in a competitive first half marked by physical challenges, with Al Shabab coming closest to scoring just before the break when Hammam al-Hammami found himself one-on-one with Al Rayyan goalkeeper Mahmud Abunada, but failed to convert. Al Rayyan seized control shortly after the hour mark as Garcia rose high to meet a precise delivery from Thiago Silva on the right and powered home a well-placed header to give his side the lead.
The advantage was doubled in the 79th minute when Mitrovic climbed above the defence to head in a quality corner from Rodrigo Moreno, leaving Al Shabab struggling to respond. Al Rayyan’s dominance was underlined just two minutes later as they struck again. Ahmed al-Minhali delivered a ball from the left inside the penalty area, and Mitrovic cleverly set it up for Guedes, who calmly finished to complete the scoring.
The triumph marked Al Rayyan’s second trophy of the season following their QSL Cup success, and their second title since coach Vicente Moreno took charge last month.
