(MENAFN- Gulf Times)
Al Markhiya booked their berth Round of 16 of the Amir Cup after they beat Mesaimeer Sports Club 5-4 on penalties at the Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium yesterday. The preliminary match had ended 2-2 in regulation time.
The victory means Al Markhiya join 15 other teams including 12 QNB Stars League teams from last season and the top three ranked teams from last season's Second Division League, in the main round. Al Markhiya's Algerian striker Jugurtha Hamroun yesterday scored a magnificent brace (39th and 59th minutes) while Mesaimeer's goals were scored by Rostand Mbaye (51th minute) and Jassem Al Jalabi (67th minute) forcing a penalty shootout to decide the fate of the match.
The teams were tied at 3-3 during the shootout with Robinho, Mahmoud Al Marnour and Hamood Al Yazidi all being successful for Mesaimeer. For Al Markhiya, Hamroun, skipper Mohammed Arafa and Ali Al Muhannadi were on target.
Mesaimeer's Salem Khalifah then hit the cross bar while Al Markhiya's Mohammed Diawara's shot was saved by goalkeeper Mohamed El Gendy as scores stood at 3-3. Mesaimeer's Mohamed Feid Atashi then made it 4-3 but Ali Ali Faiz failed to score. On the other hand, Al Markhiya's Jameel al-Yahmadi and Yousef Ramadan both succeeded in finding the back of the net as Al Markhiya sealed the victory with a 5-4 margin.
“We are happy to win and qualify for the next stage of the Amir Cup. The match was difficult as both teams fought hard for a victory,” Al Markhiya's hero Hamroun said after the win.“Amir Cup matches are always different from league matches. Both teams made every effort to achieve victory, and we succeeded in winning the penalty shootout.
“We took the lead twice, but at the end of regulation time it was a 2-2 draw. I am happy to have scored both goals, but all credit goes to the team in general, and we all complete each other as our goal is to serve the team. ,” the Algerian added.
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