DOHA: Runaway points leaders Al Rayyan yesterday beat Al Wakrah 5-0 to seal the Qatar Stars League (QSL) title with five rounds to spare in the 2015-16 season.
It was Al Rayyan’s first title win since the 1994-95 season.
Al Rayyan, coached by shrewd Uruguayan Jorge Fossati, relied on goals from ace strikers Rodrigo Tabata and Sebastian Soria to launch their goal-scoring spree yesterday.
Spain’s Sergio Garcia scored the third goal in the 57th minute as Al Rayyan moved towards completing a comprehensive win. Myongin Koh scored the fourth for Al Rayyan in the 67th minute.
Victor Javier Caceres joined in the fun to score Al Rayyan’s fifth goal in the 72nd minute.
After 21 rounds, Al Rayyan have an unassailable tally of 60 points.
Second-placed El Jaish have 39 points from 20 matches. Defending champions and third-placed Lekhwiya have 37 points from 20 matches.
In the ongoing season, Al Rayyan’s only defeat has come against Al Sadd when the two sides clashed on December 10. It has been a remarkable journey for Al Rayyan who were demoted to the second division at the end of 2013-14 season.
They won the second division title the following season and won a promotion to QSL. Since September last year, it has been Al Rayyan all the way with just one blip against Al Sadd almost three months ago.
After a slightly cagey start to the round 21 clash at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Al Rayyan got their act together to put pressure on A Wakrah.
In the 8th minute, Hamid Ismail chipped in a neat lob from the flank but Soria failed to connect from close range, missing power on his flick.
But soon afterwards Al Rayyan discarded the iffy game and played to their potential with slick moves.
Influential striker and captain Tabata opened the scoring in the 37th minute while Soria flicked one home from close range to give Al Rayyan the 2-0 cushion going into half time.
Seconds before the kick-off Fossati was shown on the large screen inside the stadium seemingly praying with his hands folded but Al Rayyan players ensured a straight forward win would be the order of the day.
With hundreds of Al Rayyan of fans present at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, the visitors put up an impressive show in front of audience that also included Qatar national coach Daniel Carreno.
Jose Mauricio, coach of Al Wakrah, made several changes on the field of play but a determined Al Rayyan were not to be denied.
In the 57th minute, Soria found an unmarked Garcia in the Al Wakrah box and the former Espanyol striker curled one past goalkeeper Hassan Idriss Dicko for his side’s third goal. Within a space of five minutes, Garcia and Caceres also added their names to the goal-scorer’s list.
Perhaps the only blemish came when Al Rayyan’s Tahir Zakariya was slapped by a yellow card by referee Abdulrahman Abdu who otherwise had an easy game to officiate.
Tabata, who was benched in the 87th minute, hugged coach Fossati before celebrating with his team-mates in the dugout. The Peninsula
DOHA: Team effort did it for Al Rayyan, club president Saud bin Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani said after Al Rayyan clinched the Qatar Stars League (QSL) title yesterday.
Al Rayyan yesterday beat Al Wakrah 5-0 to seal their 8th QSL win and the first since 1994-95 season.
“It was a team effort. Everybody worked so hard in the entire season,” Sheikh Khalid said.
“We clicked as a team and we were very focussed on our matches. This is a good win for us, for Qatar football,” Sheikh Khalid said.
“Our league is very competitive and you saw how tough the matches were for us,” he said
Influential striker Sebastian Soria yesterday thanked club fans for the support in his team’s victorious run in the QSL.
“I thank God for this incredible win. But I would like to thank the fans for their support,” Soria said after the round 21 clash at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
“I won this title with Lekhwiya (in the 2014-15 season) and now I have won with Al Rayyan. The key point is winning and we are happy,” he said.
“I would like to thank the club management and my family for their support,” Soria said.
“It is always good to win and we are very happy we played so well in the entire season,” Soria said. QFA President Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Bin Ahmad Al Thani gave away the QSL shield to Al Rayyan captain Tabata. QFA Vice President Saoud Al Mohannadi and QSL chief Hani Balan were also present.
The Peninsula
