Al Wakrah and Qatar SC played out a 2-2 draw while Al Rayyan edged past debutants Lusail 1-0 as the new season of Qatar Stars League kicked off on Thursday.
At the Lusail stadium, Qatar SC's Aron Gunnarsson scored the first goal of the new season, rifling home a rebound from Niall Mason’s shot inside the final third to give his side the lead in the 18th minute.
Al Wakrah created several opportunities to equalse during a lengthy spell but failed to convert, with Almahdi Ali heading wide from the right side of the box in the 37th minute after a set-piece delivery by Luis Alberto.
The Blue Wave finally levelled in first-half stoppage time through Redouane Berkane to ensure the sides went into the break on equal terms.
Al Wakrah then returned post break to grab lead in the 67th minute when Amine Zouhzouh converted from the penalty spot after Fallou Diouf’s challenge on Berkane.
Qatar SC hit back twelve minutes later as Bruno Tabata restored parity, capitalizing on a goalkeeping error by Mohammed Al Bakri to slot home from close range.
Both sides tried to force the pace in remaining time but in the end had share the spoils.
Al Rayyan edge Lusail
At the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, the newly-promoted Lusail had their hopes of fetching an equaliser raised in the 88th minute when substitute Tiago Geralnik appeared to have been flipped from behind by Al Rayyan’s Jassem Gaber inside the box. The referee however ruled out a penalty indicating that the player may have tripped, much to Al Rayyan’s relief.
Al Rayyan’s only goal was scored by Gabriel Pereira in the 43rd minute of the match. The Brazilian picked on a good cross from Gregore to dash into the box from the right and make a left-footed strike. His shot beat a diving goalkeeper at the right bottom corner.
Lusail however continued to show good defence as they foiled two attempts in the second session.
At the hour mark, a Roger Guedes shot was cut off in front of the goal while four minutes later, Pereira missed a good chance as he shot wide off the left post with only the goalkeeper to beat.
Lusail goalkeeper Arsha Shakouri gave a good account of himself making some good saves. Lusail were more attacking in the latter stages of second half and a good corner kick saw a connect being missed by inches, high and centre in front of the goal.
Earlier in the 23rd minute, Lusail’s Hamidreza Firouzi made a good dribble to get into the striking zone but his assist was shot just wide past the right post.
While Lusail were incisive at times their inexperience showed through against a strong Al Rayyan, who themselves were a bit rusty losing out on chances to double their lead.
After the match, Rayyan’s Jassim Jaber was delighted his team had achieved the most important objective of securing victory and the first three points.
He said the match was not easy, as Lusail looked strong and well organised, while Al Rayyan missed several chances in the second half.
The midfielder added that after winning their opening league match, Al Rayyan will now turn their attention to their next game against Al Wakrah next Thursday.
Today, Al Gharafa will play Al Shahania at the Khalifa International Stadium at 5:15pm while Al Arabi will meet Al Shamal at Al Thumama Stadium at 7:30pm.
The Big guns will be in action tomorrow. Al Sadd, the competition's most successful club with 19 titles and the reigning champions for the past three seasons, will begin their title defence against Al Ahli at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
The champions will look to make a strong start under new Romanian coach Razvan Lucescu, who replaced Italian Roberto Mancini. Al Sadd will rely on the likes of Akram Afif, Brazilian duo Roberto Firmino and Claudinho, and Spanish striker Rafa Mujica.
Al Sadd held their pre-season camp in Austria, where Lucescu worked on preparing the squad for the new campaign, with the team also targeting a strong run in the AFC Champions League.
Former champions Al Duhail will face Al Sailiya at Al Bayt Stadium. Al Duhail had a poor season last season, finishing fifth and will be aiming for a stronger campaign as they seek to return to the upper reaches of the table. The Red Knights completed their pre-season preparations in Amsterdam and will be eager to make a strong start.
