Amir Cup: Al-Sadd defeat Al-Gharafa 4-2 to reach semifinals

Al-Sadd reached the semifinals of the Amir Cup after beating Al-Gharafa 4-2 in their quarterfinal match, which was played at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium on Thursday.

The win takes Al-Sadd to a semifinal matchup against either Al-Rayyan or Al-Arabi on May 11.

After a positive start to the game, Al-Sadd took the lead through Khoukhi Boualem in the 17th minute. Akram Afif floated a ball in from the left and Boualem met it with a precise header to score past Al-Gharafa keeper Yousuf Hassan.

Both teams had chances to score after that, with Baghdad Bounedjah netting in the 33rd minute for Al-Sadd, only for the referee to rule the effort out for offside. This was followed by a goal-line clearance from Tareq Salman at the other end, to deny Ahmed Alaa.

In the last minute of the first half, Bounedjah doubled Al-Sadd’s advantage after picking up Hassan Al-Haydos’ pass and finishing past the keeper.

Al-Sadd head coach Jesualdo Ferreira brought on Salem Al-Hajri into the midfield halfway through the second half, replacing Xavi. A few minutes later, Al-Sadd scored again, with Afif finishing off Bounedjah’s pass in the 74th minute to make it 3-0.

In the 78th minute, Al-Gharafa pulled a goal back through Iranian international Mehdi Taremi. Al-Gharafa fought hard to come back into the game and were rewarded with another goal in the 89th minute, when Amro Seraj headed in to take the score to 3-2.

However, Al-Sadd did not succumb to the pressure further and instead went on to score again, with Bounedjah getting his second of the night in the 90th minute after an assist from Afif.

MATCH DETAILS:

Al-Sadd x Al-Gharafa (Amir Cup 2019 Quarterfinal)

Venue:

Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium

Lineups:

Al-Sadd: Meshaal Barsham, Pedro Miguel, Tareq Salman, Khoukhi Boualem, Abdelkarim Hassan, Gabi, Jung Woo-young (Ali Asad), Xavi (Salem Al-Hajri), Hassan Al-Haydos (Yasir Abubakar), Akram Afif, Baghdad Bounedjah

Al-Gharafa: Yousuf Hassan, Abdulaziz Hatem, Youssef Muftah, Mahdi Taremi, Othman Al-Yahri, Ahmed Alaa, Monqez Odai, Muath Yahya, Luca Mendes, Ahmed Al-Ganehi

Result:

Al-Sadd won 4-2

Goals:

Khoukhi Boualem 17′

Baghdad Bounedjah 45′, 90′

Akram Afif 74′

Mahdi Taremi 78′

Amro Seraj 89′

Referees:

Khamees Al-Kuwari (Main referee)

Zahi Al-Shammari (Linesman)

Faisal Al-Shammari (Linesman)

Mutasim Ahmed (Fourth official)