Former champions Al Rayyan yesterday welcomed back star striker Rodrigo Tabata by crushing bottom-placed Al Markhiya 4-1 in their round-four clash of the QNB Stars League in what turned out to be a lop-sided affair.
Playing under lights at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Al Rayyan - who had been missing Tabata for the start of the season following an injury and subsequent surgery - saw the Brazilian-born striker score in the second half.
Coached by Michael Laudrup, Al Rayyan picked up easy points after goals by Abderrazak Hamdallah (2), Mahmoud Attiya (own goal, 26), Tabata (71) and Sebastian Soria (79).
Al Markhiya striker Kwame Amponsah Karikari reduced the deficit in the 80th minute.
With star striker Tabata on the bench at the start of the game, Al Rayyan - coming off a 5-3 loss against Al Duhail in round 3 - wasted little time in scoring the opening goal.
Hamedallah produced a superbly taken direct freekick, hitting the Al Markhiya net in just the second minute of the match. It was Al Rayyan striker’s third goal of the season.
In the 9th minute, Al Rayyan added a bit of bite into their attacks this time through Mohammed Ali who produced a bullet from the edge of the Al Markhiya box but his shot was palmed away by goalkeeper Mohammad Khuroob.
In the 26th minute, Al Rayyan jumped to a 2-0 lead thanks to a run of play that favoured the boys in red. Veteran striker Soria - captain for the day - tried to control an aerial cross inside the Al Markhiya box but the ball got knocked into the net by Mahmoud Attiya resulting in an own goal.
Al Markhiya’s Mohammed Shaban Barakat received a yellow card for debating the linesman’s call to allow the goal to stand in favour of Al Rayyan.
In the 36th minute, Al Rayyan’s rising U-23 star Ali charged into the Al Markhiya box but his shot from inside the box hit the crossbar and the ball landed away from the attacking Al Rayyan strikers.
Some 20 minutes into the second half, Soria produced a snap-header on a long cross but his close-range deflection inside the box was pouched by Al Markhiya goalkeeper.
A couple of minutes later, Hamdallah charged into the Al Markhiya box but his short was swiftly blocked by Khuroob.
Tabata, who was brought in at the start of the second half, completed Al Rayyan’s dominant play by scoring his team’s third goal in the 71st minute after a cross from Hamdallah.
Eight minutes later, Tabata spotted Soria in the Al Markhiya box and the tall striker clipped the ball into the top of the net for Al Rayyan’s 4th goal.
Karikari tapped the ball into the net from close range after Al Rayyan goalkeeper failed to grab the ball in the 80th minute.
