Al Rayyan boosted their hopes of advancing to the AFC Champions League 2022 knockout stage with a 3-1 defeat of Sharjah in Group A encounter in Riyadh on Tuesday. Caio’s long-range effort cancelled out Salem Sultan’s own goal but Al Rayyan roared back with Steven N’zonzi and Brahimi finding the net as the Qatari side moved to seven points, three ahead of their vanquished opponents. Defending champions Al Hilal lead the group.
Both teams played to a 1-1 draw when they met last week, but it was Sharjah who started promisingly in the reverse fixture when they caught Al Rayyan by surprise in the fifth minute, Caio setting up Salem Saleh who forced a save from goalkeeper Fahad Younis.
Al Rayyan took their time to settle into the game, with their first look at goal coming in the 12th minute when Yohan Boli laid the ball for Mohamed Jumaa, who sent his shot wide from inside the box. Moments later, Jumaa played an instrumental in Al Rayyan’s opening goal when Yacine Brahimi burst into the box, sending a pass that fell to Jumma, whose cross was deflected by Sharjah’s Salem Sultan into the back of his own net.
Sharjah responded in spectacular fashion when a moment of individual brilliance by Caio Lucas in the 18th minute put the Emirati side back into the game after the Brazilian burst down the middle before sending a curling effort from outside the six-yard-box.
Caio failed to find the net for Sharjah just after the half-hour mark when he sent his shot above the bar, while Boli saw his close range effort saved eight minutes later.
Al Rayyan’s perseverance, however, paid off in the 39th minute when N’zonzi directed Brahimi’s corner with a glancing header past Sharjah keeper Adel al-Hosani to give the Qatari side the lead going into the break.
Sharjah started the second half aggressively but couldn’t convert their chances with Saleh seeing his effort saved from inside the box in the 52nd minute, while Otabek Shukurov wasted a golden opportunity when he botched his effort moments later.
The Emirati side suffered more woe in the 61st minute when Luanzinho conceded a penalty after bringing down Hashim Ali inside the box as Brahimi coolly converted from the spot. Sharjah tried to claw their way back but Al Rayyan were not to be denied.

Al Wehdat turn on the style against Al Sadd
 Al Wehdat secured a famous 3-1 victory against Qatar’s Al Sadd in Group E clash at Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam on Tuesday. The Jordanian side came into the game with the knowledge any result other than victory would diminish their chances of reaching the knockout stage for the first time in their history, while Al Sadd needed three points to stay in contention for the top spot.
On the pitch it was end-to-end action throughout the game, with both sides creating chances in abundance. It took 10 minutes for Al Wehdat to get their first clear sight of goal when Ghanaian forward Mohammed Anas took possession of the ball inside the Al Sadd box following a poor defensive clearance and set up Ahmed Samir with the goal at his mercy, but the latter’s effort was tame and goalkeeper Saad al-Sheeb caught it comfortably.
Rodrigo Tabata and Abdelkarim Hassan threatened at the other end with efforts that could not find the target, while Anas was left wondering how he didn’t score in the 26th minute after an Al Wehdat set-piece produced chaos inside Al Sadd area and the ball fell to him inches from the goal line, but he could not react quick enough and fluffed his lines.
The second half started in a similar fashion, but this time Al Wehdat were more clinical and needed just three minutes to open the scoring after club captain Mohamed al-Dameiri took advantage of al-Sheeb’s spilled attempt to catch a cross from the corner and drilled an effort from the edge of the area that found its way through the congested penalty area and between the legs of the Al Sadd goalkeeper into the back of the net.
Al Sadd responded within just six minutes as Jung Woo-young’s long pass was controlled by Andre Ayew who fought off the challenge of the Jordanian defender to retain possession before the onrushing Tabata fired it home for the equaliser, beating his own record as the second oldest goalscorer in the history of the AFC Champions League by four days. It took exactly as many minutes for Al Wehdat to take the lead again. Mohammed Abu Hasheesh advanced down the left flank and sent a low cross that found its way to the far post where Al Sadd defender Hassan lost his footing and allowed Khaled Assam to control and apply a composed finish at the hour mark.
Al Wehdat’s victory was cemented 15 minutes from time when Cameroonian midfielder Clarence Bitang led a quick counter attack before feeding Samir who cut on his left and hammered home his side’s third of the night.
A first victory against Al Sadd on the fourth time of asking for Al Wehdat means they are now level with the Qataris on four points, but the head-to-head record favours Al Sadd. Sadd coach Javi Gracia conceded his team lost because of their mistakes. “We had a problem controlling the ball. We received goals from mistakes that prevented us from making a comeback.”