(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
Fawad Hussain
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The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: Newly-crowned Asian Player of the Year Akram Afif came off the bench to fire a late winner and provide an assist as Al Sadd rallied to edge Al Rayyan 2-1 in a high-octane Qatar Clasico clash in Doha on Thursday.
The Qatari playmaker, celebrated by Al Sadd and its fans for winning the prestigious continental award for second time ahead of kick off at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, turned the game around for the Wolves after being introduced at the hour mark.
Al Rayyan claimed a well-deserved lead in the 67th minute when Mahmoud Ahmed Hassan (Trezeguet) broke the deadlock.
However, Felix Sanchez's side responded just two minutes later, with Afif setting up Mohammed Waad for the equaliser. Afif then sealed the win in the 89th minute with a goal confirmed by VAR after initially being ruled offside.
“It was a tough game and I am happy with the win,” Afif said after the match.
“Both the teams were cautious in the first half and we managed to level quickly before scoring the winner,” he said before thanking Al Sadd and the fans for the celebration in his honour.
The victory brought the defending champions' tally to 18 points, just one behind Ooredoo Stars League leaders Al Duhail, who are set to face Al Shamal Friday.
Younes Ali's Al Rayyan, despite a strong performance, were left to regret missed opportunities as they remained in eighth place with 10 points.
Al Rayyan dominated the early exchanges as the Lions kept Al Sadd goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham busy, firing multiple shots on target in the first half.
After the opening quarter, Trezeguet had a close opportunity, connecting with a fine cross from Murad Naji but Barsham denied him with a fantastic save.
Gabriel Pereira was also active as he tested Barsham on a couple of occasions, with the Qatari goalkeeper also blocking a strike from Naji's set-piece.
Barsham later thwarted a strong effort from Roger Guedes on the left and following the resulting corner, Julien De Sart headed wide from a close range.
In what was Al Rayyan's best chance, Guedes received a quick throw-in from Naji and chipped the ball over the bar with only Barsham to beat in the dying moments of the half.
Al Rayyan resumed play in similar fashion, though they struggled to convert their opportunities into goals.
Guedes missed another chance, firing a Naji cross from the right wide from a promising position after Afif replaced Yusuf Abdurisag.
Al Rayyan finally went ahead when Trezeguet netted the opener with a right-footed strike, assisted by Pereira. But their celebrations were short-lived as Waad equalised for Al Sadd shortly afterward.
Receiving a through pass from Afif on the left, Waad's shot took a deflection off Al Rayyan defender Andre Amaro to find the back of the net.
Al Rayyan goalkeeper Fahad Younis did well to punch away the ball to safety late in the match after Afif initiated a threatening attack but the Qatar star snatched the win with a smart chip over Younis to earn the coveted points for his side.
Earlier yesterday, Al Gharafa defeated Al Arabi 3-1 to move to 15 points, positioned fourth below Al Ahli in the standings on goal difference.
Yacine Brahimi had put the Cheetahs ahead in the 21st minute with Youssef Msakni equalising for Al Arabi in 62nd minute at Thani Bin Jassim Stadium.
Joselu regained Al Gharafa's lead in 76th minute with Mohammed Muntari sealing the win one minute before full time. Sitting ninth in the standings, Al Arabi stayed on 10 points.
At Al Khor Stadium, hosts Al Khor suffered a 1-2 defeat to Qatar SC with Ahmed Abdel Kader converting a penalty in fourth minute, and Ilyas Hamid Maxence Brimil securing the win for the visitors in sixth minute of stoppage time.
Abdollah Ali Saei had scored the equaliSer for Al Khor in 84th minute.
Qatar SC – placed 10th in the standings – raised their tally to 10 points while Al Khor stayed on the bottom with four points.
Round 9 Results
5:30pm: Al Khor 1-2 Qatar SC
5:30pm: Al Gharafa 3-1 Al Arabi
7:30pm: Al Sadd 2-1 Al Rayyan
On Friday
5:30pm: Al Shamal vs Al Duhail at Al Khor Stadium
7:30pm: Al Wakrah vs Umm Salal at Al Janoub Stadium
7:30pm: Al Ahli vs Al Shahania at Al Thumama Stadium
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