Al Sadd were held to a draw 3-3 by Al Sailiya, while Al Khor and Al Rayyan won by an identical 3-1 margin against Al Ahli and Al Shahania respectively in the QSL Cup Group B third round matches Friday.
A late goal by Ali Asad, in the 88th minute, helped Al Sadd share points with Al Sailiya. Ali, who scored a goal in the 43rd minute also, produced a left-footed drive from close range to fire Al Sadd’s third goal of the match at the Al Ahli Stadium.
For his first goal, Ali drilled one past Al Sailiya goalkeeper Abdulrahman Aziz with a powerful shot from the edge of the box. Earlier, Mohamed Rajab scored two goals to lift Al Sailiya in the tense clash. For his first goal, Rajab tapped one in from close range to score Al Sailiya’s third goal in the 63rd minute.
Rajab, after a defensive lapse from Al Sailiya, found the net in the 38th minute of the exciting match. For their first goal, Al Sailiya saw Abdul Rauf find the net from close range in the 31st minute. In the fifth minute of the match, Al Sadd took the lead when Hamed Ismail showed alertness from close range, tapping the ball into the net following a cross that landed at his feet.
Later, A double by Helal Mohamed sealed a 3-1 win for Al Khor over hosts Al Ahli. Helal converted an easy penalty in stoppage time (90+3) after he was brought down by Al Ahli keeper with a rough tackle.
Earlier, Helal curled in a David Beckham-like direct free-kick that sailed into the net in the 90th minute as Al Khor picked up three points.
Some 10 minutes earlier, Said Brahmi made the most of a defensive lapse by Al Ahli to tap the ball into the net from close range to provide the equaliser for the visitors. In the first half, Al Ahli opened the scoring when inspirational striker Meshaal Abdulla found the net with an easy conversion from close range after a cross from Ali Ferydoon.
After tapping the ball in the Al Khor box, Ferydoon slipped a neat cross to Abdulla who was unmarked. Abdulla easily slotted the ball into the net.
In the last match of the day, Al Rayyan picked up full points from their one-sided clash against Al Shahania. Lucca Borges opened the scoring for Al Rayyan in the 14th minute when he tapped the ball into the net following a cross from Mohamed Juma. In the 59th minute, skipper Rodrigo Tabata headed home on a loopy cross from the flank to double the lead for Al Rayyan. In the 73rd minute, Sultan al-Kuwari made it 2-1 for Al Shahania with a well-placed, yet powerful right-footed drive from the edge of the box.
South Korean international Koh Myong-Jin, after a neat cross from Lucca, slotted his team’s third goal from close range to complete Al Rayyan’s convincing win.
Al Sadd’s Xavi in action during the QSL Cup third round match against Al Sailiya.
