Sport
Arabi, Duhail to lock horns in QSL Cup final
Arabi edge defending champions Umm Salal; Duhail beat Wakrah in extra time
December 14, 2024 | 12:06 AM
Al Arabi beat Umm Salal 2-1 in the semi-final on Friday to set up QSL Cup final with Al Duhail, who earlier had beaten Al Wakrah 3-1.At the Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium, Abdulla al-Marafi (3rd minute) and Alaaaldin Hassan (29th minute) were on target for Al Arabi as they prevailed over the defending champions Umm Salal, for whom Victor Lekhal scored their only goal in the 79th minute. Arabi were up and running from the word go and in the very third minute of play al-Marafi, after being provided with a fine assist by Rodri, volleyed-in the ball on the bounce beating the goalkeeper to his left. The Dream Team doubled its lead just before the half-an-hour mark with Rodri putting a through ball from near the centre for Isaac Lihadji to set it up for Hassan to score.Left with an uphill task, Umm Salal looked at climbing back and in the 43rd minute came close as their tall captain Victor Lekhal’s header hit the top of the crossbar and went out even as Al Arabi goalkeeper Mohamed Saeed Ibrahim tried to reach it with his fingertips.The battle continued in the second session and in the 69th minute Al Arabi broke through and Hassan went on to put the ball into the net but the flag went up. A VAR check by the referee confirmed the off-side.Ten minutes later, Umm Salal eventually succeeded in scoring their first goal as Kenji Gorre provided a superb cross for Lekhal to strike. The move was initiated with a fine swept ball past Al Arabi players from near the centre.Rejuvenated Umm Salal now upped their efforts hoping to fetch an equaliser but failed to find a good finish. In the 88th minute, Gorre sent across a cross to substitute Khaled Waleed but the latter stumbled over in a rush to strike in front of the goal.Rodri looked to score another for Al Arabi in opening minute of stoppage time but his kick was cut off by Umm Salal goalkeeper Louay Ashour.Earlier, Al Duhail overcame Al Wakrah in extra time at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium. The match went into extra time after Benjamin Bourigeaud had scored for Al Duhail in the 49th minute, while Ricardo Gomes equalised in the 58th minute for Al Wakrah from the spot, before Bourigeaud and substitute Ismail Ali scored the winning goals in the 108th and 111th minute respectively.Farid Boulaya almost gave Al Wakrah the lead in the 34th minute, but his powerful strike from inside the box was saved by Al Duhail goalkeeper Bautista Burke.A minute later, Michael Olunga seemed to have broken the deadlock for the Red Knights when he found the back of the net, but his effort was overturned for an offside ruling. Another goal by Al Duhail, this time by Luis Alberto, in the 38th minute was also cancelled after a VAR check adjudged an offside in the build-up to the goal.Al Duhail eventually broke the deadlock through Bourigeaud, who tapped home from an Olunga assist. The Blue Wave got a chance at redemption in the 58th minute from the spot, and Gomes did not hesitate to get things done for his side as he netted home a low but powerful, driven right-footed shot that located the bottom corner of Al Duhail’s net.Abdelaziz Mitwali’s foul on a goalbound Olunga reduced Al Wakrah to 10 men in three minutes of added time. Despite all efforts from both sides, the match ended 1-1 in regulation time, paving the way for the extra time.A defensive blunder on the part of Al Wakrah gave Bourigeaud the opportunity to fire home in the 108th minute as Al Duhail took the lead from a sublime assist by Olunga. Substitute Ali Heider extended the lead, following a pass by Alberto, in the 111th minute to further compound Al Wakrah’s woes as Al Duhail reached the final.
December 14, 2024 | 12:06 AM