Al Gharafa's Yacine Brahimi celebrates after scoring a goal.
Al Gharafa and Muaither completed the quarter-final line up for 51st edition of the Amir Cup after winning their respective Round of 16 matches, yesterday.
Al Gharafa put up a dominant performance against Qatar SC beating their QNB Stars League (QSL) opponents 4-1 after Second Division side Muaither stunned Al Ahli 3-1 to book their last eight berth in style.
At the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium, Qatar player Ahmed Alaaeldin put Al Gharafa ahead in the 11th minute with Yacine Brahimi scoring their second goal seven minutes later.
Just before the half-time, Ahmed Al Ganehi extended Al Gharafa’s lead in 44th minute with Qatar SC, who had a better ball possession in the match, bouncing back with a 48th minute spot kick by Badr Benoun.
But the Cheetahs avoided further damage and sealed a commanding victory with a Moayad Hassan’s strike in the 82nd minute.
Action during the match between Muaither and Al Ahli yesterday. PIC: Mohamed Farag
Earlier at the Suhaim Bin Hamad Stadium, Muaither displayed a fine show against the Brigadiers after George Kwasi Semakor scored their first goal, three minutes before the break.
While Al Ahli pressed hard for a goal, it was Muaither, who scored another goal with Jamal Hamed netting the ball in 83rd minute.
The Nebojsa Jovovic’s side made a comeback with a goal from Nikola Vukcevic (90+1 minutes) in stoppage time but a goal from Muaither’s Alaeddine Ajaraie three minutes later shattered their hopes.
Meanwhile, Al Arabi coach Younes Ali said his team needs to bring improvement after his side blanked Al Shamal 3-0 in their Round of 16 clash on Wednesday.
Aron Gunnarsson opened scoring in 29th minute before a late brace by Omar Al Somah (85th, 90+1 minutes) sealed a commanding victory for Younes’ side, who are second in the QSL standings.
“It was not an easy match against Al Shamal. We did not take advantage of the spaces that were available to us to finish the match early. We must address this matter before returning to the league,” Al Arabi coach said.
“Despite our win, there are some points that we have to address, but the most important thing is the qualification because the Cup matches are different from the league,” he added.
