A brace from Adam Bareiro and a penalty strike from Roger Guedes saw an attacking Al Rayyan blank Al Ahli 3-0 to storm into the final of Amir Cup football at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium Sunday.Bareiro struck the opening goal in the 30th minute following a free kick and the Ahli defenders' attempts to clear the ball. But after a header and a deflection, the ball fell into a vacant space and Bareiro snatched the chance to strike with his left foot into the left corner of the net past a diving goalkeeper.Bareiro doubled the lead for Al Rayyan seven minutes later while he chested the ball after a long throw-in lob and turned about to beat a marking defender and then the goalkeeper.Al Rayyan attacked more in the second half keeping the Ahli defence on their toes.In the 86th minute, Al Rayyan's Hashim Shehata was fouled by Driss Fettouhi while leaping for a cross in front of the goal and the referee ruled a penalty.Guedes, who took the spot kick, struck firmly into the right side of the goal much to the agony of Al Ahli.On Monday, Umm Salal will meet Al Gharafa in the second semi-final at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium at 7pm.Al Gharafa, after beating defending champions Al Sadd in penalty shootout in the quarter-finals, are keen to keep momentum going."The Amir Cup is now our primary objective, and we’re determined to reach the final,” said Al Gharafa coach Pedro Martins."Umm Salal have shown great resilience and tactical discipline to reach this stage. We need to stay focused, minimize errors, and make the most of our strengths.”Umm Salal’s run to the semi-finals has been particularly impressive, especially after narrowly avoiding relegation with a playoff win. Their quarter-final hero was goalkeeper Landing Badji, who saved three penalties to secure a dramatic shootout win over Al Shamal.
May 18, 2025 | 10:57 PM