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Favourites Al Rayyan prevailed over Second Division rivals Muaither 2-0 in the final to lift the QSL Cup at Stadium 974 Wednesday. The triumph also meant The Lions claimed their first trophy since winning the Sheikh Jassim Cup in 2018, delivering immediate success under new coach Vicente Moreno. Roger Guedes struck in first-half stoppage time (45+1 minute) before Aleksandar Mitrovic added a second in the 53rd minute to seal victory for the champions. Muaither, who enjoyed an impressive tournament run, made strong early efforts to find a breakthrough but were held back by a resolute Al Rayyan defence. Their inexperience showed at a crucial moment when they squandered a promising chance inside the box. Al Rayyan were also tested by Muaither’s disciplined backline despite creating several opportunities. The deadlock was eventually broken when Brazilian forward Guedes capitalised on a clever assist from Khaled Ali Binsabaa, breaking into the box before beating both defender and goalkeeper to slot the ball into the right corner of the net. Al Rayyan doubled their lead early in the second half when Mitrovic headed home a long free kick that bounced into the net. The assistant referee initially raised the flag, but the goal was awarded following a VAR review. Moreno has been in charge for just two weeks after replacing Artur Jorge, and the victory provides a timely boost as The Lions continue their pursuit of further silverware. Al Rayyan remain in contention in both the Amir Cup and the Gulf Club Champions League. Al Rayyan centre-back Jassim Jaber expressed his delight at securing the title. “We performed well in the final against Muaither and crowned our efforts by winning this championship, which we hope will be an important motivation for us in the future,” he said. “Winning this title will give us confidence ahead of the semi-finals of the Gulf Champions League next Sunday. We thank Al Rayyan fans for their support, as they always have a great impact on raising the morale of the players,” Jaber added. 

Goalkeeper Majed Abdullatif emerged as the hero as Muaither SC advanced to the final of the 2025-2026 season QSL Cup after defeating Al Arabi 3-2 on penalties at Thani Bin Jassim Stadium Sunday.The thrilling semi-final ended 3-3 after regulation time, with Al Arabi’s Alexis Perez scoring a dramatic last-gasp equaliser to force the shootout. In the decisive penalties, Muaither’s Pakistani goalkeeper saved three kicks to secure victory and book a place in the final against Al Rayyan.The match witnessed an explosive start. Joao Pedro headed Al Arabi into the lead in the seventh minute, but Muaither responded immediately as Etyan Morales equalised seconds later, cleverly clipping the ball past goalkeeper Mohamed Saeed Ibrahim.Fouad Saleh put Muaither ahead in the 11th minute with a powerful low drive. Albert Ramis Luque then extended the lead from the penalty spot just before halftime after Morales was fouled by the Al Arabi keeper.Al Arabi mounted a strong comeback in the second half, with Pablo Sarabia reducing the deficit in the 51st minute. Despite sustained pressure, Muaither looked set for victory until Perez’s late strike sent the tie to penalties.Muaither will now face Al Rayyan, who qualified after a marathon penalty shootout win over Umm Salal. 

Al Rayyan will begin life after the departure of coach Artur Jorge when they face Al Shahania in the quarter-finals of the QSL Cup Tuesday, with several clubs set to rely on youngsters and players not involved in national team duty. The competition traditionally provides opportunities for emerging talents and fringe players during international windows, and this edition is expected to follow the same pattern as teams balance development with their push for silverware. Brazilian giants Cruzeiro confirmed the appointment of Jorge as manager on Sunday, almost 18 months after the Portuguese guided Botafogo to continental success. The 54-year-old announced his departure from Al Rayyan over the weekend before securing a deal that runs until the end of 2027. His exit leaves Rayyan entering the knockout stage in transition, with the club expected to give opportunities to younger squad members. “Today marks the end of a very special chapter in my career,” Jorge said upon leaving Al-Rayyan. “It was an honour to represent Al Rayyan with seriousness and dedication. A great club, and with very good people. Throughout this period, I had the privilege of working with high level professionals and sharing the day-to-day life with a group of players who always demonstrated commitment.” Rayyan, who qualified directly for the last-eight stage after finishing top of their group with 25 points, will take on Al Shahania at Al Khor Stadium today at 6:15pm. Al Shahania booked their place in the quarter-finals after edging Al Shamal 1-0 in the play-off round. Also today, Umm Salal will meet Al Bidda at Suhaim Bin Hamad Stadium at 8:15pm. Umm Salal head into the tie with renewed confidence following improved performances under coach Ruben Albes, while Al Bidda will look to continue their impressive run and test themselves against top-flight opposition. Wednesday, Muaither will face Al Markhiya at 6:15pm, with both sides aiming to build momentum as they chase promotion back to the top division next season. Later the same evening, Al Arabi will take on Al Waab at Al Khor Stadium at 8:15pm, with Arabi seeking to underline their credentials while Waab aim to extend their fairytale run in the tournament. 

Al Rayyan defeated Al Shahania 3-0 to book their place in the QSL Cup semi-finals, while Umm Salal also advanced to the last four with a 2-0 win over Al Bidda Tuesday. Two goals from Ahmed Alaaeldin in the 36th and 66th minutes, along with Roger Guedes' strike in the 62nd minute, sealed victory for Rayyan.**media[428938]**At the Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium, Umm Salal scored two late goals to dash Al Bidda's hopes, with Antonio Mance finding the net in the 73rd minute before Cristo Perez added another in the 87th minute. 

Al Waab and Muaither booked their places in the quarter-finals of the QSL Cup following dramatic and decisive Play-Off victories. At the Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Stadium in Al Wakrah, Al Arabi edged Qatar SC 12-11 on penalties after a thrilling 2-2 draw in regulation time. Qatar SC were moments away from victory, leading 2-1 deep into added time, before Al Arabi produced a sensational equaliser to force the shootout. Yan Matheus (14th minute) and Joao Pedro (58th minute) had put Qatar SC ahead, while Al Arabi responded through Karl Toko Ekambi from the penalty spot in the 57th minute and Joao Pedro Darros in the second minute of stoppage time. Ibrahim Abdelhalim Masoud’s missed kick proved decisive as Al Arabi advanced. The winners had finished fourth in the league with 19 points, while Qatar SC placed 13th with 13 points. At Al Shamal Stadium, Al Waab claimed a convincing 3-1 victory over Mesaimeer to secure their quarter-final berth. Al Waab struck early to establish a 2-0 lead by half-time, with Mekki Mohsen scoring in the third minute and Ameer Fowadah adding the second in the 32nd. Baha Faisal sealed the win in the 69th minute, while Mohammed Djenidi netted a late consolation for Mesaimeer in the 74th. Al Waab had finished fifth in the league standings with 18 points, while Mesaimeer were 11th on 13 points. Meanwhile, Muaither registered a comfortable 2-0 win over Al Kharaitiyat at Al Khor Stadium. Both goals came after the break, with Siriky Diabate opening the scoring in the 56th minute before Etyan Morales doubled the advantage in the 76th. Muaither, who finished third in the league phase with 20 points, moved confidently into the last eight, while Al Kharaitiyat had scraped into the Play-Offs in 14th place, the final qualifying position, with 13 points. 

Al Shamal scored a crucial 4-1 win over Al Kharaitiyat in their Round 10 match of the QSL Cup 2025-26 season at the Grand Hamad Stadium Tuesday. The victory fetched Al Shamal three valuable points and took their tally to 15 while Al Kharaitiyat remained on 13 points. Tamer Seyam, Mohammed Waad, Omar Ali and Adam Ounas were on target for Al Shamal, while Rodrigo Tabata (Penalty) scored Al Kharaitiyat’s only goal. Al Waab 2-1 Al Shahania A stoppage time goal saw Al Waab edge Al Shahania 2-1 in their Round 10 match of the QSL Cup at the Suhaim Bin Hamad Stadium. The important win saw Al Waab take their tally to 18 points while Al Shahania remained on 17 points. Abdulrahman Mohamed and Baha Faisal were on target for Al Waab while Artur George scored for Al Shahania. Al Shahania also lost a player in the 63rd minute after being flashed with a red card. Al Markhiya and Wakrah in 1-1 draw Earlier, Al Markhiya and Al Wakrah shared a 1-1 draw at the Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Stadium. While Y Njie scored for Al Markhiya in the opening half, R Burkan equalised for Al Wakrah in the second session. Al Markhiya moved to 18 points with the draw, while Al Wakrah’s tally moved to 6 points. 

A brace from substitute Abdulrahman Mohammed al-Harazi saw Al Khor shock table toppers Al Rayyan 2-0 in their Round 10 match of the QSL Cup at the Suhaim Bin Hamad Stadium on Wednesday.Despite their first defeat in the tournament, Al Rayyan topped the single-stage league table with 25 points securing a direct berth to the quarter-finals along with Umm Salal, who finished second with 20 points.After a goalless opening half, al-Harazi struck twice in the 66th and 71st minutes for Al Khor, who secured their spot in the knockout stage with 13 points.At the Al Shamal Stadium, Muaither thrashed Mesaimeer 4-1 to finish level on points with Umm Salal. Muaither scored two goals in each half while Mesaimeer missed a late penalty.Etyan Morales (3rd minute), Albert Luque (40th minute), Yanis Merah (70th minute) and Mohamed Sakr (73rd minute) scored the goals for Muaither while Gabriel Da Silva scored Mesaimeer’s only goal in the 24th minute of the match. Mesaimeer, however, also progressed with 13 points.Meanwhile, Al Bidda’s Cristian Dal Bello Fagundes converted a penalty strike in the 30th minute as they beat Lusail 1-0 at the Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium.Later in the 84th minute, Al Bidda won another penalty but they failed to score. Their fourth win of the tournament took Al Bidda’s points tally to 15 and to the knockout stage while Lusail were eliminated with 7 points to their credit.Al Arabi, Al Waab, Al Markhiya, Al Sailiya, Al Shahania, Al Shamal, Qatar SC and Al Kharaitiyat also advanced to the knockout stage after the conclusion of league stage.In the QSL Cup’s new format, 20 teams played 10 league matches. The top two progress to the quarter-finals, and teams ranked 3–14 fight in knockouts for the remaining slots. 

Al Rayyan defeated Al Duhail 3-1 in the fourth round of the QSL Cup at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium. Ali al-Qahtani opened the scoring for Al Rayyan in the 54th minute, with Mohammed Siraj and Faisal Mohammed adding goals in the 66th and 76th minutes respectively. Mubarak Shanan had earlier put Al Duhail ahead in the 35th minute. The win lifted Al Rayyan to 13 points, while Al Duhail remained on four. At the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Al Shahaniya pulled off a surprise 2-1 victory over Al Sadd in an exciting contest. Mohammed Balah gave Al Shahaniya the lead in the 32nd minute, before Abdulrahman al-Sultan equalised early in the second half. However, Ali Saeed al-Mohannadi struck deep into stoppage time to hand Al Shahaniya their third win of the competition. Al Sadd, meanwhile, suffered their fourth defeat, having drawn once so far. In another fixture, Al Arabi crushed Lusail 6-1 at the Suhaim Bin Hamad Stadium. Yazan al-Naimat scored a hat-trick (22nd, 34th, 87th minutes), while Joao Pedro netted twice (19th, 40th), and Michel Olunga added a sixth in the 75th minute. Mohammed Shaaban scored Lusail’s lone goal in the 57th minute. The result took Al Arabi to 13 points, while Lusail stayed on four. At Saud bin Abdulrahman Stadium, Al Gharafa and Mesaimeer played out a 2-2 draw. Moaz Adam and Abu Al-Qasim Mohammed put Al Gharafa 2-0 ahead, but Hamad Balgheeth struck twice to earn Mesaimeer a share of the spoils. Qatar SC, who were languishing in 16th place with three points, improved slightly to four following this round, while Mesaimeer moved to six points.

Al Arabi handed Al Duhail a crushing 4-0 defeat in the fifth round match of the QSL Cup 2025-26 season at the Grand Hamad Stadium Sunday.The victory, Al Arabi’s third of the tournament, Sunday kept them in third place in the standings with 10 points – behind on goal difference with leaders Al Kharaitiyat and second-placed Umm Salal.Al Rayyan, also with 10 points, are in fourth spot.Al Duhail with a second loss and 4 points have slipped to 15th place.Al Arabi were on the attack against Al Duhail from the word go with Isaac Lihadji scoring in the 2nd minute of the match. Jordan Veretout scored the team’s second goal in the 40th minute.In the second half Aladin Hasan (67th minute) and Pablo Sarabia (72nd minute) added more to the tally.Umm Salal thrash Al Sadd 5-0 Earlier, Umm Salal blanked Al Sadd 5-0 at the Al Shamal Stadium.It was Umm Salal’s third win of the tournament while Al Sadd, who suffered their third defeat, remain on 1 point and in 19th place in the 20-team tournament.Umm Salal led 1-0 at half time only to come back steamrolling in the second session to score four more goals.Antonio Mance (38th minute), Cristo Gonzalez (48th minute), Jean Quaisi (70 & 82 minutes) and Ahmed Sayed (90+1 minute) got the goals for Umm Salal.Qatar SC beat Al Ahli 6-1Qatar SC yesterday beat Al Ahli 6-1 at Al Khor Stadium.The game was clearly beyond Al Ahli’s reach by the blast of the whistle for the closing of the first half, with Qatar SC leading 4-0, benefiting from two own goals from Al Ahli’s Khaled Hassan (second and 39th minutes), while Raoul Sanda (14th minute) and Saeed Brahmi (44th minute) added one each.The Brigadiers got their consolation goal in the 49th minute via a penalty kick through Talal Ali, but Joao Pedro (75th minute) and Yan Matheus (88th minute) added two more for Qatar SC to ensure the emphatic victory, which secured them their first 3 points (their only points so far) of the competition, while Al Ahli remained on 1 point.

Al Shahania secured a thrilling 3-2 win over Al Khor in their Round 5 clash of the QSL Cup at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium on Saturday. Ali al-Muhannadi scored the winner for Shahania in the 77th minute after both sides were locked 2-2 at half time. Shahania had opening the scoring in the 19th minute through Jawad El Jemili while Pelle van Amersfoort put the side 2-0 ahead scoring off a penalty kick in the 27th minute. Al Khor hit back through Abdulrahman al-Harazi in the 42nd minute, and a minute later Sofiane Hanni got the equaliser. But al-Muhannadi struck to help Al Shahania gain the three valuable points. The second win of the tournament took Al Shahania’s tally to 7 points while Al Khor also remain at 7 points. Al Shamal thrash MarkhiyaAl Shamal thumped Al Markhiya 5-0 at the Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium. Shamal got their opening goal in the eighth minute through Naim Sliti. They doubled their lead in the 23rd minute as Younes El Hannach scored. Alex Collado added a third in the 45th minute. An own goal from Markhiya’s Ahmad Ismal (75th minute) added to Shamal’s scoreline. Mohamad Omar hit one home in added time (90+1 minute) to make it 5-0 for the winners. This was Al Shamal’s first win of the tournament and took their tally to 5 points while Al Markhiya remain on 4 points. Mesaimeer, Lusail draw Mesaimeer and Lusail played out a 1-1 draw at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. Mesaimeer’s Abdulkader Zoukh scored in the 12th minute, capitalising on some defensive errors by Lusail. The goal was the only difference between the sides for quite a while until Tamim al-Jabri secured the equaliser for Lusail in the 72nd minute to push them to four points in the standings, while Mesaimeer advanced to five points. Al Rayyan, Al Waab share points Al Rayyan and Al Waab played out a 2-2 draw at the Thani Bin Jassim Stadium. Al Waab took an early lead through Abdulrahman Sheikh Khan, who struck in the fifth minute to give his side a 1-0 advantage at halftime. Al Rayyan turned the game around early in the second half, with Brazilian forward Wesley Da Silva scoring twice in quick succession — in the 54th and 58th minutes — to put the Lions ahead. However, Al Waab snatched a dramatic equaliser deep into stoppage time when Mohammed Abu Shanab capitalised on a goalkeeping error to make it 2-2. With the result, Al Rayyan moved to 10 points, while Al Waab reached 6 points in the group standings.

Al Sailiya defeated Al Gharafa 3-0 in the fifth round of the QSL Cup at the Grand Hamad Stadium. Abdulrahman Mohammed opened the scoring in the third minute, before Khaled Ali doubled the lead in the 11th. Hadi Ali sealed the victory with a third goal deep into stoppage time (90+2). At Al Khor Stadium, Al Bidda were held to a 2-2 draw by Muaither. Amen Allah Meherzi gave Al Bidda an early lead in the sixth minute, but Etyan Morales levelled for Muaither in the 28th. Albert Luque put Muaither ahead in the 47th minute, only for Cristian Del Bello to equalise from the penalty spot in stoppage time after a foul in the box. Elsewhere, Al Kharaitiyat drew 1-1 with Al Wakrah at Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium. Raul de Tomas opened the scoring for Al Wakrah in the 44th minute, but after Al Mahdi Ali was sent off early in the second half, Al Kharaitiyat took advantage, with Jordan Yuli Jele netting a late equaliser.

Al Rayyan edged Al Wakrah 4-3 in a thrilling QSL Cup second-round at the Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium Tuesday.This was Al Rayyan’s second successive win and took their points tally to six, while Al Wakrah are yet to open their account. Adel Bader (17th minute), Faisal Nouman (34th minute), Bahaa Ellethy (52nd minute) and Moustafa El Sayed (90th minute) scored for Al Rayyan.For Al Wakrah, Abdulaziz Ibrahim (66th minute penalty), Ali Saleh (68th minute) and Abdelaziz Mohammed (90+6 minute) were on target. Al Rayyan’s Cas Campion Leadbetter was shown the red card in the 75th minute for a foul against Al Wakrah’s Abdulaziz Ibrahim.Adel Bader began the scoring for The Lions slamming from centre in front of goal after being in the clear. Nouman doubled their lead with a fine strike off a diagonal cross from Bader. Post break, Bahaa Ellethy deflected in the third goal following a corner and a header.Al Wakrah scored their first goal from the spot and soon made it 2-3, with Ali Saleh smartly lobbing it over the rival goalkeeper’s head. Al Rayyan hit back, with Moustafa El Sayed scoring with a fine strike (4-2). Al Wakrah’s Abdelaziz Mohammed reduced the margin beating a diving goalkeeper in dying moments of added time (4-3).Shahania, Shamal drawIn the other match, Al Shahania and Al Shamal played out a goalless draw at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium at Al Duhail. Al Shahania had some of the best chances of the almost evenly-balanced match, but they somehow found the rock-solid defence of Al Shamal seemingly impenetrable.Both sides are yet to record a win in the tournament, having both suffered a first-round loss, with Al Shahania losing 1-2 to Al Sailiya and Al Shamal being defeated 3-1 by Umm Salal. Both teams will definitely have to up their game in the next rounds for any chance of making it to the knockout stage.In Monday's matches, Al Bidda stunned Al Sadd 3-1 thanks to Abdallah Nouri's hat-trick. Muaither drubbed Al Gharafa 5-2, while Al Duhail beat Mesaimeer 2-1 and Al Arabi drew with Al Waab.