Sheikh Saud bin Ali Al Thani, Vice President of Qatar Olympic Committee handing over the Emir Cup trophy to Al Rayyan team captain at Al Arabi Indoor Hall yesterday. Al Rayyan defeated Police in three sets to one ( 25-22, 25-23, 23-25, 25-22) in the final to win the Emir Cup and completed a domestic treble. Al Rayyan also won the Qatar Volleyball League and the Heir Apparent Cup this season. RIGHT: An Al Rayyan player tries to spike past the Police players in the final.Pictures by: Abdul Basit
By Denzil Pinto
DOHA: Defending champions Al Rayyan completed a domestic treble after successfully defending their Emir Cup title by beating Police 3-1 in an entertaining final yesterday.
Al Rayyan won 25-22, 25-23, 23-25, 25-22 in a closely-foughted encounter in front of a packed venue at Al Arabi Indoor Hall.
Police, who came through the qualifying stages and had beaten top teams in this year’s campaign, most notably former champions Al Arabi in the semi-finals, put on a spirited performance.
Al Rayyan coach Ljubomir Travica was delighted with the Emir Cup triumph. Travica, who was holding a clipboard and giving team orders throughout the match said: “This match was very important for us and we wanted to end this match as the winners of the competition. It’s been a fantastic season for us having won this Cup. I am very pleased and grateful for everyone at the club.”
He added: “Yes it was a very good performance by us. Police caused us many problems during the match. They recovered from a slow start and came back into the match well.”
Michael Sanchez, who played a significant role in yesterday’s victory for Al Rayyan said: “It was very hard as Police played very well. We were very tired after playing so many matches but I’m very happy I won today. The team worked very well to get this win.”
He added: “This is my first time in Qatar, so it was a wonderful season for me to win three Cups. I think this has been the best year of my career so far. I hope we can perform well for the next season.”
Al Rayyan’s Matey Kaziyski said it was an ‘incredible’ result having just joined the club for the campaign one week ago.
The Bulgarian said: “It was an incredible result. My team was very new and I only arrived a week ago. It is very difficult to create good team but we did that well. My team-mates and coaches were incredible and we did a very good job.”
With Al Rayyan two sets up, Police deservedly clinched the third set.
Al Rayyan, who had won the Qatar Volleyball League title and Heir Apparent Cup this season recovered from the minor setback in the third set.
Both sides cancelled each other out, but a rejuvenated Police side found themselves 20-17 up. However, Travica’s side showed their resistance and nerve to level the score and later claimed the winning point to cap a remarkable season. THE PENINSULA
