The Emir, H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani presents the trophy to Al Rayyan captain Fabio Cesar and club president after the Emir Cup final at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha yesterday. Al Rayyan beat Al Sadd 2-1 to lift the trophy. RIGHT: Al Rayyan players and officials celebrate their Emir Cup victory. PICTURES BY: SALIM MATRAMKOT/REUTERS
BY RIZWAN REHMAT
DOHA: Al Rayyan yesterday upstaged Doha giants Al Sadd to bag the Emir Cup for the sixth time at a packed at Khalifa International Stadium.
Powered by two goals in the first eight minutes of the tense final, Al Rayyan edged past a resolute Al Sadd to win the title clash 2-1.
Watched by the Emir, H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Al Rayyan’s overseas import Nilmar of Brazil (6) and captain Fabio Cesar (8, penalty) found the net early in the final that attracted a capacity crowd of 50,000.
For Al Sadd, the margin of defeat was reduced by Spanish giant Raul in the 56th minute.
Qatar Stars League (QSL) champions Al Sadd, who were attempting to win the Emir Cup for the 14th time, lost their second successive final after going down in the Heir Apparent Cup title clash two weeks ago.
“I want to thank our fans and our family members for their support,” Al Rayyan skipper Cesar said after receiving the trophy from the Emir.
“Our fans came to support us in large numbers. Their support was crucial,” the 34-year-old midfielder added.
“Al Rayyan played a tough game against a tough side.
“I must congratulate Al Sadd on their great campaign this season,” the Qatar national team player said.
In just the second minute of the match, Cesar brought down Hassan Al Haydos of Al Sadd, resulting in a free-kick.
An aerial chip from an Al Sadd defender sent the ball to Iraqi striker Younus Mahmoud, who hit the outside of the net with a ferocious shot but the effort was declared off-side.
In the sixth minute, midfielder Cesar chipped in a curling cross from near the flagpost. Nilmar, stationed inside the Al Sadd box, timed his run well and met the ball with a feeble yet precise touch to score the first goal of the match.
Al Sadd defender Mohammed Kasola failed to mark Nilmar as the Brazilian used his deft ball touch to send his team into the lead.
Nilmar went into the net, tucked the ball under his jersey and celebrated with a his team-mates as thousands of Al Rayyan went delirious in the stands.
Two minutes later, Abdul Karim brought down Nilmar inside the box with a rash and needless tackle that won Al Rayyan a penalty.
Captain Cesar, who decided to take the spot kick, went for the right of goalkeeper Saad Abdullah as Al Rayyan went 2-0 up within a space of just two minutes.
In the 29th minute, Nadir Belhadj of Al Sadd, seemingly frustrated at the lack of opportunities to score, went for a long-range shot nearly 20 metres from the Al Rayyan goal-line. The ball flew above the crossbar.
Three minutes later, Al Rayyan defender Musa Haroon produced a snap-header but the deflection from close range narrowly missed the Al Sadd goalmouth.
A minute later, the referee showed the yellow card to Cesar for an apparent time-wasting act on a free-kick.
Five minutes later, Al Haydos tapped a feeble pass for Mahmoud who failed to read the trajectory of the ball just a few yards from Al Rayyan’s goal.
Five minutes from the end of the first half, Al Haydos fired a long-range bullet that hit the Al Rayyan goalpost and bounced back, much to the dismay of Al Sadd fans.
Just seconds before the end of the first half, the referee slapped Belhadj with a yellow card as Al Rayyan defended stoutly to maintain their 2-0 lead.
Four minutes into the second half, Belhadj fired a left-footed shot from close range but the Algerian midfielder lacked the finish with his hurriedly-taken effort after a long-range chip from Al Haydos.
In the 56th minute, Raul orchestrated a slick move and scored for his team. Raul, 35, fired a ball to Kasola positioned on the right flank. Kasola chipped the ball back to one of his strikers but the ball bounced off and landed at Raul’s feet.
Standing on the edge of the box, Raul curled one past Al Rayyan goalkeeper Omar Barry for his side’s only goal.
Eight minutes later, Al Sadd striker Mahmoud had himself to blame for missing out on a close-range touch on a beautifully weaved pass from Belhadj.
Belhadj’s pass whizzed past two Al Rayyan defenders but Mahmoud remained rooted to his spot as the ball sailed past with no takers.
With Al Rayyan defending bravely, Al Sadd benched Ibrahim and brought on Yousef Ahmed in the 80th minute.
In the dying minutes of the match, Al Rayyan’s Alvaro Fernandez was taken off on a stretcher for what seemed like a broken elbow. The 27-year-old fell heavily in a collision with two Al Sadd players and landed on his right hand. Despite the referee extending the match by six minutes in injury time, Al Rayyan defended well to retain their lead and lift the trophy for the sixth time. THE PENINSULA
