Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani crowned Al Duhail as the 50th Amir Cup champions after they crushed Al Gharafa 5-1 following a dominant show in the final at the Khalifa International Stadium on Friday.
The Amir Cup Finals are one of the biggest events in country’s sports calendar and Friday’s title clash of the landmark edition was colossal for both the teams. Although the attendance was limited to 75 percent capacity in the final owing to COVID-19 protocols, fans produced an electrifying atmosphere at the iconic FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 venue, giving an impression of a packed house.
H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani, H H Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani, H E Sheikh Jassim bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, Speaker of the Shura Council H E Hassan bin Abdulla Al Ghanim and a number of Their Excellencies sheikhs and ministers also attended the match.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino, a number of heads of Arab and international sports associations, a number of Their Excellencies members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the State of Qatar also attended the final.
Al Duhail, after their stunning victory over two-time defending champions Al Sadd in the semi-final emerged as favourites to win the final, and they lived up to expectations with a phenomenal performance on Friday.
They continued their control throughout the match, scoring two goals in the first half and adding another three in the second half. It was Al Duhail’s fourth Amir Cup title after their wins in 2016 (Lekhwiya), 2018 and 2019 editions.
The memorable title for The Red Knights also gave a fitting farewell to coach Luis Castro, who stood in the Al Duhail dug out for the last time. Many Al Duhail players described their title triumph as one of the best achievements of their careers.
Motivated with their Amir Cup glory at the end of the domestic football season, Al Duhail are now targeting more achievements in the next season.
According to captain Almoez Ali, the club is now setting sights on a good performance at the AFC Champions League besides doing well in the QNB Stars League and the next Amir Cup edition.
