Doha [Qatar], April 5: A late stoppage-time strike saw Al Rayyan force a 1-1 draw against Al Sadd in 'Qatar Clasico' - Week 20 match of the Doha Bank Stars League at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on Saturday.
Serbian Aleksandar Mitrovic equalized for The Lions in (90+5 minute) after Roberto Firmino had put The Wolves ahead in the 27th minute.
With the spoils shared, Al Sadd's tally moved up by one point to 39 while Al Rayyan moved to fourth place in the standings with 32 points.
Al Sadd opened the scoring with Akram Afif making a fine move and later Paulo Otavio providing the assist for Firmino to score.
In the 57th minute, Al Sadd had found the net again as Afif's pass was gently lobbed in over the goalkeeper by Pedro Miguel but the goal was stood down for offside.
Al Sadd kept up the tempo and at the hour mark, Al Rayyan goalkeeper Mahmoud Ibrahim Abunada made two fine saves (one on the rebound) to stave off the charge. Abunada also made a fine leaping save towards the end of regulation time.
With Al Sadd unable to make further inroads, Al Rayyan hit back with Mitrovic making the most of a Roger Guedes assist as he fired between two defenders and beat the Al Sadd goalkeeper to his right.
The result left Al Sadd's Italian coach Roberto Mancini fuming. Mancini earlier had been urging his players to push more late in the second session.
Al Shamal beat
Umm Salal 3-2
Al Shamal beat Umm Salal in a five-goal thriller 3-2 at the Al Bayt Stadium on Saturday.
The result moved them to second spot with 37 points while Umm Salal remained on 20 points and in 10th place.
Omid Ebrahimi converted a penalty kick in the sixth minute after a foul on Omar Mohamed. Baghdad Bounedjah doubled the lead deep into first-half added time, giving Al Shamal a comfortable cushion at the break.
Alex Collado made it 3-0 in the 59th minute, his deflected effort beating goalkeeper Rami Hamada following a precise pass from Bounedjah.
Umm Salal mounted a late comeback, with Antonio Mance pulling one back in the 75th minute through a long-range strike, before Yamaan Jarrar added another eight minutes later. However, Al Shamal held firm to seal the vital win.
Al Duhail edge
Al Gharafa 3-2
Al Duhail secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over Al Gharafa in a highly entertaining clash at the Khalifa International Stadium.
Almoez Ali scored the decisive goal in the first minute of added time to hand The Red Knights all three points and move them to 30 points (6th in standings), while Al Gharafa remained on 34 points (3rd).
Four goals were scored in an action-packed first half. Mubarak Shanan opened the scoring for Al Duhail in the 7th minute with a close-range rebound header. Al Gharafa equalised in the 26th minute through Aladin Hasan's header from a Yacine Brahimi free-kick.
Edmilson Junior restored Al Duhail's lead in the 37th minute with a powerful low drive, but Ferjani Sassi levelled for Al Gharafa just before half-time.
The second half remained tightly contested until Ali's late strike sealed the win for Al Duhail in a keenly fought battle.
Source: Qatar Tribune
