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The Peninsula
Congolese striker Ben Malango came off the bench to grab a point for Qatar Sports Cub in an entertaining 4-4 draw against heavyweights Al Gharafa in the expo Stars League (ESL) yesterday at the Khalifa International Stadium. In the other match, Al Rayyan shrugged off Al Markhiya to get their campaign off to a winning start, thanks to Roger Guedes' lone strike.
Bruno Tabata bagged a brace for the Kings in the 6th and 58th minutes as they also benefited from an own goal from Mohammed Ali Jamin in the 20th minute.
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The match saw plenty of drama as Qatar SC gave up their leads twice, including a two-goal advantage. Yohan Boli, Ahmed Al Janehi with a double and Yacine Brahimi scored for Al Gharafa. Qatar SC took the lead through Tabata six minutes in with a right-footed shot onto the roof of the net off a well-timed pass from Bashar Rasan following a fast break.
Youssef Safri's team continued to pile pressure on their opponents after the opening goal, and their efforts yielded the desired result in the 20th minute. Tabata's strike bounced off Ali Jamin to loop over the hapless Yousef Mohammed in goal.
Al Gharafa struggled to cut the deficit with more attempts, and Ivorian star Boli finally found the net 10 minutes from halftime. Brahimi's through ball located the former Al Rayyan man, who sidestepped the goalie before slotting home.
Parity was restored with virtually the last kick of the first half. Farid Boulaya provided another through-ball assist to Al Janehi, who made no mistake with the goalkeeper at his mercy.
Qatar SC made a double substitution at halftime, with Abdullah Abdulsalam coming in for Raoul Danzabe while Ben Malango replaced Jassim Ahmed. Al Gharafa, on the other hand, sent in Nasser Al Ahrak in place of Abdullah Ali Saei.
In the 58th minute, Tabata scored his second in stunning fashion to restore Qatar SC's lead. The Brazilian star picked up the ball just past the halfway circle and beat his marker easily before sending a brilliant effort into the corner past the outstretched Yousef in goal.
With the match seemingly heading the way of Qatar SC, Al Janehi shocked the home crowd by powering home Homam Al Ameen's cross in the 77th minute to get on the scoresheet for the second time on the night and draw level for Al Gharafa.
Brahimi thought he had won it for The Cheetahs in added time after good work from Othman Alawi found the Algerian, who turned his marker beautifully before firing into the top corner.
There was still time for last-minute drama as Malango had the last laugh deep into injury time from close range to ensure the match ended even.
Guedes scores on debut as Al Rayyan pip Markhiya
Two debutants, Rodrigo and Roger Guedes, combined as eight-time champions Al Rayyan kicked off their campaign with a 1-0 win over Al Markhiya at the Al Janoub Stadium. Guedes scored in the 30th minute for The Lions from close range after Rodrigo's header landed in the former Corinthians forward's path. In the second half, Leonardo Jardim's men could have doubled their lead 10 minutes in, but VAR overturned Abdelghani Laallam's own goal.
Al Rayyan failed to create any meaningful chance showing signs as Sofiane Boufal threatened, but Jardim's side managed to hold on for the victory.
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