(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Second division team Al Shamal qualified for the main draw of HH The Emir Cup with a 2-0 win over fellow minnows Muaither at the Qatar Sports Club stadium yesterday.
HH The Emir Cup, the main draw of which will be held at a gala ceremony today, is the most lucrative domestic football tournament and brings down the curtains on the nine-month long football season in Qatar.
The event offers a chance to lower division teams to test their mettle against the big guns, although it's rare for a non top-flight team to actually lay their hands on the prestigious trophy.
Al Shamal were clearly the dominant side yesterday as they made their intentions clear right from the start and tested the Muaither defence at regular intervals.
But after going close on a number of occasions, Al Shamal were able to break through only in the 38th minute with Mohamed Hares scored with a powerful right-footed shot from just inside the penalty area. Muaither hardly made their presence felt in terms of goal-worthy moves and in a sense were fortunate to go down by just two goals.
The Shamal trio of Hares, Ali al-Shibani and Jose Nunez Montiel constantly threatened the Muaither defence with some clever thinking and crisp passing.
One such move produced the Al Shamal's second goal when Paraguayan Montiel struck from close off an assist from al-Shibani in the 53rd minute.
Muaither produced a brief a brief purple match in the midfield but were unable to breach the Al Shamal defence.
Al Shamal coach Silvio Diliberto was pleased with his team's performance.
'I am very happy with the performance of the boys. We played to a plan and we stuck through by dominating possession. Now we hope to have a favourable draw when it is held tomorrow, said Diliberto.
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