Goals from Abderrazak Hamdallah and a fine individual strike from Romarinho ensured that El Jaish handed Al Rayyan their second loss of the QSL season, defeating the champions 2-1 in a frantic clash at Al Sadd stadium on Sunday evening.
The QSL champions started the tie on the front foot and could have taken the lead as early as the 2nd minute. Sebastian Soria, the former Lekhwiya man, should have converted for his side off a Sergio Garcia’s cross. Soria finally did find the back of the net, in the 12th minute but he was rightly judged offside by the linesman.
El Jaish looked the more dynamic side in the opening exchanges, midfielder Othman al-Yahri exemplifying the forward-thinking Jaish side.
His tireless work in the midfield pushed his side on in the first half, linking up well with Hamdallah and Romarinho. They created their first chance of note when Magid Mohammed’s swivel and shot was pushed away for a corner by Omar Barry in the 23rd minute.
Al Rayyan seemed to be denied constantly by a resolute Jaish backline. The closest they came to scoring was a chipped effort from Soria in the 38th minute, which just went over the Jaish crossbar.
Jaish carved their best chance of the tie in the 41st minute, a fine Lucas Mendes freekick rattling the Rayyan crossbar.
Rayyan defensive duo of Nathan and Gonzalo Viera picked up a yellow card apiece in the first half, which ended even at 0-0
Al Rayyan took the lead against the odds from the penalty spot. Sergio Garcia was adjudged to be bundled down in the box and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Captain Rodrigo Tabata stepped up to score his 19th goal of the season.
Two minutes later, it was Jaish’s turn to win a penalty. Hamdallah was hacked down in the box by Rayyan defender Nathan. Referee Salman Falahi had no choice but to point to the spot. Hamdallah picked himself up to slot past Omar Barry for his 17th goal of the season.
From that point, the game turned into a scrappy affair with tackles flying in and both sides demanding free-kicks at every opportunity.
Jaish took the lead on the 63rd minute, with a fine individual effort from Romarinho. The Brazilian showed pace and strength to hold off Rayyan defender Nathan to lash the ball past a hapless Omar Barry.
The QSL champions immediately woke up and peppered the Jaish goal in the final 20 minutes. The pick of the chances fell to Ahmed Aladeen, who was well blocked by Jaish defender Lucas Mendes.
The tie threatened to boil over at times, with Falahi doing a good job in controlling the increasingly frantic sides. Defender Mousa Haroon saw red in the final stages for a second bookable offense.
However Sabri Lamouchi’s side weathered the attacks to inflict Al Rayyan with only their second defeat of the domestic season.