Draw in last match fails to dampen Lekhwiya party

Lekhwiya had to be content with a draw in their last Qatar Stars League match of the season against Al Shahania  but that didn’t dampen their enthusiasm at the awards ceremony where they were presented the Falcon Shield, the symbol of supremacy in domestic football.QSL CEO Hani Ballan and Qatar Football Association Vice-President Saoud al-Mohannadi were among the top officials who graced the final day of the QSL at the Abdulla bin Khalifa Stadium after Lekhwiya were held to a 2-2 draw by Al Shahania.The Lekhwiya players partied late into the night, clicking selfies with fans and family. Having already won the title with a match to spare, they relief and joy on their faces was enough testimony to the hard work they had put in this season under coach Djamel Belmadi.The tie saw four penalties awarded in the second half and in what was a back and forth game, Shahania managed to snatch a point with just two minutes left to play thanks to a Fahad Khalfan penalty.  Both teams elected to field second string sides for the game, with bigger challenges lying ahead. Shahania are set to take on Qatar SC in a relegation play-off on Wednesday while Lekhwiya are preparing for the Qatar Cup and their AFC Champions League matches. Unsurprisingly, it was the youthful Lekhwiya who dominated the early exchanges, and could have taken the lead after Qatar international Almoez Ali took advantage of the Shahania defensive error. However, his shot flew wide. Djamel Belmadi’s side continued to enjoy most of the possession, and had further opportunities to score but defender Khalid Radwan and striker Abdulrahman Mohaeed squandered their chances. However, on the stroke of half-time, Lekhwiya deservedly took the lead, with the best move of the game. A lofted ball fell to Almoez Ali, who calmly picked out Edgar Da Silva who slotted home from close range. Lekhwiya took a one goal lead into half-time. The Red Knights continued to dominate in the second half and were awarded a penalty when Yousef Ayman was bundled down by Al Shahania defender Fahad Saket. Unfortunately for them, Abdurahman Mohamed’s effort from 12 yards went well wide. Against the run of play, Al Shahania found the leveller when the referee pointed to the penalty spot for the second time in the match. Oryxes attacker Yousef Hani Ballan was pulled down in the box, and Nabeel Anwer stepped up and slotted away to level the scores at 1-1. Lekhwiya began to dominate again and took the lead for a second time from the penalty spot. This time Abdurahman Mostafa stepped up and the youngster confidently placed the ball into the bottom right-hand corner to give his side a 2-1 lead. Shahania pushed hard to get back into the tie and found parity just two minutes from time. Substitute Fahad Khalfan was bundled down and Shahania’s number 11 picked himself up and slotted past Claude Amin to level the tie at 2-2 at the very death.