Action during the Amir Cup match between Al Gharafa and Al Kharaitiyat at the Grand Hamad Stadium, yesterday.
Doha: Al Gharafa yesterday stormed into the quarter-finals of the 50th edition of the Amir Cup after thrashing Al Kharaitiyat 4-0 at the Grand Hamad Stadium.
Also yesterday, Al Wakrah defeated Al Shahania 3-1 in the last Round of 16 match to complete the quarter-finals line-up of the prestigious tournament.
Second division side Al Kharaitiyat started well against Al Gharafa but an own goal by Ahmad Abdelhay in the 31st minute cost them dearly as the Cheetahs started to dominate the match, and doubled their lead through Sofiane Hanni in 45+3 minutes.
Al Gharafa maintained their control in the second half, with Ahmed Alaaeldin completing a brace with goals in 82nd and 88th minutes to seal the victory.
Al Gharafa will play Qatar SC in the quarter-final.
Meanwhile, Al Wakrah set up a quarter-final clash with Al Rayyan after a dominant victory in yesterday’s second match at the Grand Hamad Stadium. Omar Ali was the star for Al Wakrah, firing two goals (20th and 66 minutes) as Al Shahania struggled against their in-form opponents.
Nasser Saleh Al Yazidi scored Al Wakrah’s third goal in 81st minute, with Al Shahania getting a consolation through substitute Abdulla Hamad Al-Feihani in third minute of stoppage time.
Cordova happy with Al Rayyan’s victory
Meanwhile, new Al Rayyan coach Nicholas Cordova was delighted after his team’s close win over Umm Salal in the Round of 16 on Tuesday.
Colombian star James Rodriguez fired a stoppage time winner against Umm Salal, who played the second half with 10 players after a red card to Yaseen Al Bakhit in the first half.
“This win will boost the team’s confidence,” said Cordova, who replaced French coach Laurent Blanc.
“Umm Salal were tough despite being reduced to 10 man and Al Rayyan gave a strong performance in the tough match,” he added. The former Chile international hoped Al Rayyan, who are struggling on 9th position in the 12-team QNB Stars League, hoped for a turnout in remainder of the season.
“We have good players in the team and our position doesn’t reflect on the stature of the team but we still have 18 points,” Cordova added.
