Al-Sadd draw with Al-Rayyan in an exciting Clasico

Al-Sadd draw with Al-Rayyan in an exciting Clasico
10 Apr 2016
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Al-Sadd ended an exciting Clasico with a point after a 2-2 draw with Al-Rayyan in the Qatar Stars League Round 25 match played at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium on Sunday. The result meant that Al-Sadd dropped to third place in the standings with a tally of 46 points.

Al-Rayyan took a 2-0 lead with goals from Sergio Garcia in the 55th and 71st minutes before Al-Sadd scored two late goals through Hassan Al-Haydos (89th) and Mohammed Kasola (90th) to equalize. The match also saw Al-Rayyan midfielder Victor Caceres get sent off in the 78th minute.

Competitive start, Karim wastes chance for the first goal

The match began with a period of calmness from both sides; there were no real chances in the first ten minutes except for a Rodrigo Tabata shot which went over the Al-Sadd crossbar. The Wolves tried to reply through Baghdad Bounedjah who had a header which missed the target in the 10th minute. Two minutes later, Abdelkarim Hassan wasted a golden opportunity to put Al-Sadd in the lead. After going one-on-one with the goalkeeper, he sent a cross to his right but Rayyan defender Musa Haroon got back in time to clear the ball for a corner.

Teams cancel each other out, Al-Haydos tries a powerful shot

Both teams continued to cancel each other out with their play with Al-Sadd looking more dangerous. In the 26th minute, Hassan Al-Haydos had a powerful shot at goal which was kept out by Omar Barry with some difficulty. Just moments later, Bounedjah sent a great header on target but the ball was deflected out for a corner.

Attacks continue but first half ends goalless

The goalless stalemate continued for the rest of the first half with Al-Sadd putting a lot of pressure while Al-Rayyan relied on counter-attacks. The Saddawi pressure was from both the wings through Abdelkarim and Al-Haydos and also from deep through Ali Asad and Bounedjah. In the 39th minute, Salem Al-Hajri tried a shot from outside the box but Barry was once again on hand to save it. The referee then blew his whistle to signal halftime.

Garcia gives Al-Rayyan the lead

Al-Sadd began the second half without any changes in their lineup. Both sides continued to look for the first goal and it was Al-Rayyan who finally managed to do so in the 55th minute. Hamid Ismail sent in a cross from the right wing which was converted by Sergio Garcia to give Al-Rayyan the lead.

Ibrahim Majid and Kasola come in, Garcia adds a second goal

Jesualdo Ferreira then made two changes in one go in the 64th minute, replacing Salem Al-Hajri and Pedro with Ibrahim Majid and Mohammed Kasola. Ibrahim took up the centre back position alongside Morteza Pouraliganji while Kasola played in the middle of the park with Nadir Belhadj. Al-Sadd attempted to get an equalizer but their attempts were thwarted by a second Rayyan goal; Garcia scored once again in the 71st minute to put his side 2-0 ahead.

Al-Sadd try to reduce the deficit, Al-Rayyan fall back to defend

Al-Sadd kept up the pressure on Al-Rayyan in the final minutes of the game in order to reduce the deficit with a goal but it was met by an organized defensive performance from Al-Rayyan. In the 85th minute, Ferreira brought on Meshaal Al-Shammari in place of Belhadj for the final substitution.

Al-Sadd score twice in two minutes

Nearing the end of the match, Al-Sadd then finally got back into the game scoring two goals in two minutes. First, Hassan Al-Haydos netted in the 89th minute after a Xavi effort was kept out. Then, substitute Kasola scored the equalizer with a diving header in the 90th minute. Al-Sadd kept up the chase for another goal in the final moments but the match went on to finish 2-2.

MATCH DETAILS

Al-Sadd x Al-Rayyan (Round 25 of the Qatar Stars League)

VENUE:

Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Al-Sadd Club

LINEUPS:

Al-Sadd: Muhannad Naim, Abdelkarim Hassan, Musab Khodr, Morteza Pouraliganji, Pedro (Ibrahim Majid), Nadir Belhadj (Meshaal Al-Shammari), Salem Al-Hajri (Mohammed Kasola), Xavi, Ali Asad, Hassan Al-Haydos, Baghdad Bounedjah

Al-Rayyan: Omar Barry, Rodrigo Tabata, Nathan Otavio, Sergio Garcia (Abdulrahman Al-Korbi), Hamed Ismail, Victor Caceres, Myong-Jin Koh, Mohammed Jumua, Sebastian Soria, Musa Haroon, Abdulhamid Anad, (Ulises Pascua)

RESULT:

2-2

GOALS:

Sergio Garcia (55th, 71st) for Al-Rayyan

Hassan Al-Haydos (89th) and Mohammed Kasola (90th) for Al-Sadd

BOOKINGS:

Abdulhamid Anad (25th), Victor Caceres (29th, 78th) – Red card, Hamed Ismail (34th), Myong-Jin Koh (86th), Rodrigo Tabata (90th) for Al-Rayyan

Ali Asad (44th), Pedro (54th), Morteza Pouraliganji (68th), Abdelkarim Hassan (70th) for Al-Sadd

REFEREES:

Salman Falahi – Main referee

Ramzan Al-Nuaimi – Linesman

Yousef Al-Shammari – Linesman

Mohammed Al-Shammari – Fourth official

Khaled Al-Shareef – First additional

Mohammed Medhat – First additional