Al Duhail edge Al Sadd to reach final

Doha: Ferjani Sassi scored a brace as Al Duhail knocked defending champions Al Sadd out of the 50th Amir Cup after an exciting 3-2 victory in the second semi-final at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, yesterday. 

The Red Knights showed a stunning performance and held their nerves in tense situations against the hot favourites to set up Friday’s showdown against Al Gharafa, who outplayed Al Wakrah 4-1 in the first semi-final.        

Hours after the club announced that coach Luis Castro will depart from Al Duhail on March 18, the Red Knights gave the newly-crowned QNB Stars League (QSL) champions their toughest test of the domestic season.       

Although Javi Gracia-coached Al Sadd – missing injured Hassan Al Haydos – were in their usual aggressive mode, they missed the touch that gave them a record 49-match unbeaten streak in the QSL. 

 Al Duhail – the only side to deny Al Sadd win in the QSL season with two draws – were a better side as they availed their chances well and were formidable in defence. 

“The team put a lot of hardwork especially in the first half,” Al Duhail’s Almoez Ali said after win over the Wolves, who were reduced to 10 man in 71st minute after a red card to Pedro Miguel.  

“We played well under pressure. We knew that Al Sadd are very strong but we believed that we can beat them. We played with that philosophy and managed to win,” said the regular Al Duhail captain, who played as a substitute yesterday. 

As expected, the highly-anticipated clash produced thrilling action right from the start with 18-time champions Al Sadd making early inroad through striker Baghdad Bounedjah, whose threatening hit on the right corner was punched away brilliantly by Al Duhail goalkeeper Salah Zakaria in the third minute. 

Sassi put Al Duhail ahead in the seventh minute when Paulo Edmilson’s cross took a defender’s rebound, handing a golden chance to the Tunisian international, who put the ball past a diving Saad Al Sheeb with a low hit. 

Andre Ayew’s heroic effort helped Al Sadd pull back the goal in the 33rd minute as the Ghana star after clearing a couple of defenders struck the equaliser from near the edge of the circle, slotting the ball in the top left corner.   

The goal prompted Al Duhail to adopt an aggressive approach rather than banking on the counterattacks, and their strategy paid off as striker Michael Olunga put the Red Knights ahead again with a clinical header from Edmilson’s cross just a minute before half-time. 

The Red Knights kept an upper hand with a confident display as action intensified in the final session.        

Al Sadd suffered a setback when Miguel was sent off for his second yellow card following a foul against Edmilson, putting Al Duhail on the driving seat. 

Castro’s men extended their lead when Sassi scored his second goal of the match following a corner kick ten minutes before time, leaving Al Sadd in a precarious situation.

The Wolves, however, fought back through Bounedjah’s header after a brilliant cross from Abdelkarim Hassan in the 90th minute. The five minutes of stoppage time saw desperate attempts from Al Sadd, with Zakaria making a splendid last-gasp save from a free kick by Rodrigo Tabata to seal a memorable win. 

Al Gharafa players and coach Andrea Stramaccioni celebrate after defeating Al Wakrah, yesterday.

Dominant Al Gharafa down Al Wakrah  

Earlier at the Jasim Bin Hamad Stadium yesterday, Cheick Diabate scored twice to give Al Gharafa a commanding victory over Al Wakrah. 

It will be Al Gharafa’s first Amir Cup final since their title triumph in 2012 when they defeated Al Sadd in the title match on penalties.   

Al Wakrah started the semi-final strongly but conceded an early goal that shook their confidence.  

Brazilian Gabriel Pires put Al Gharafa ahead with a goal in eighth minute, netting the ball in by taking advantage of a poor clearance by Al Wakrah defender following a corner kick.  

Jacinto Dala’s fine sliding effort following Murad Naji’s cross in the 35th minute earned the much-needed goal for Al Wakrah. But the Cheetahs took just five minutes to regain their lead, with Diabate making it 2-1 through a clean strike. The Malian had just a defender and goalkeeper Saoud Mubarak to beat after he received a clever long ball, and he made no mistake in giving his side edge ahead of half-time.

Al Wakrah paid for sloppy defending again in the second half and Diabate was the beneficiary again. After receiving the ball near the penalty spot, the Malian headed the ball past a defender on a rebound after his first attempt was blocked by the goalkeeper in 57th minute. 

Qatar player Homam Ahmed took the game away from Al Wakrah, scoring Al Gharafa’s fourth goal with a superb volley in 68th minute after substitute Andri Syahputra chipped the ball near the penalty spot. 

The final will be played at the Khalifa International Stadium – a FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 venue.