Ooredoo Cup: Al Rayyan and Al Sadd notch thrilling wins to reach semis

Al Sadd and  Al Rayyan stormed into the semi-finals of 2019-20 Ooredoo Cup.
Yesterday at the Qatar SC Stadium, Al Rayyan edged Al Khor 7-6 in the sudden death shoot-out to make it to the last four stage. 
At the end of full time play the teams were locked one-all. Al Rayyan will take on Al Arabi in the semi-final.
In the first match, Al Sadd defeated Qatar SC in tie-breaker. The tie-breaker was enforced after the teams were level 1-1 at the end of regular time. 
Hamed Ismail (62nd minute) and Kayke Rodriguez (79th-minute penalty) scored for Al Sadd and Qatar SC respectively.
The change in tournament format this season stipulated that if a match ends in a tie, penalty shoot-out would be straightaway enforced to determine the result.
Al Sadd will play Al Ahli in the semi-final.
Possession was even in the first half even though Qatar SC forced four corner kicks as against one by Al Sadd, who benched many of their first-team players. 
Qatar SC’s Kayke and Al Sadd’s new recruit Marco Fabian shot over as both teams failed to make a breakthrough.
The game’s intensity increased in the second half and Al Sadd surged ahead in the 62nd minute through Hamed Ismail, who curled in a direct free-kick past Qatar SC goalkeeper Mohammed Ghanem.
Al Sadd’s Khalid Mubarak received his marching orders in the 77th minute for fouling Kayke and the latter himself converted the resultant penalty. Both decisions were taken by VAR.
In the tie-breaker, Abdelkarim Hassan, Hamed Ismail, Mohammed Waad Al Bayati, Ayoub Mashour and Rami Suhail found the target for Al Sadd.
For Qatar SC, Sardor Rashidov, Elmehdi Barrahma, Ahmed Moein and Kayke were on target, while Abdenasser Elkhayati’s shot was blocked by Al Sadd goalkeeper Meshaal Issa Barshim. 
Qatar SC had progressed to the quarterfinals as runners-up from Group B, while QNB Stars League title holders Al Sadd reached the Ooredoo Cup quarter-finals after finishing third in Group A.