QNB Stars League: Al-Sadd lose 1-0 to Al-Rayyan

Al-Sadd fell their fifth defeat of the QNB Stars League, losing 1-0 to Al-Rayyan in the Round 17 game which was played on Saturday at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium.

Franck Kom scored the only goal of the game in the 9th minute. The result means that Al-Sadd remain in third position in the league table with 32 points.

The game got off to a fiery start from both teams, and it was Al-Rayyan who got the early breakthrough in the ninth minute. Franck Kom attempted a powerful shot from a tight angle on the right side, and the ball went in past Saad Al-Dosari.

Al-Sadd tried to come up with a reply and Akram Afif could have equalised in the 20th minute, but his shot got deflected out for a corner. Afif also saw his headed kept out off the goalline by Dame Traore two minutes later.

The Wolves were then dealt a blow in the 36th minute, when Tarek Salman was forced off with an injury. He was replaced by Mohammed Waad who went on to play alongside Gabi in midfield, while Jung Woo-young retreated to the back to join Khoukhi Boualem in the centre of the defence.

In the 42nd minute, Baghdad Bounedjah did well to get past Gabriel Mercado but his shot went over the bar. After the break, Al-Sadd kept up their efforts to get the equaliser and went on to dominate play but it proved difficult.

Bounedjah thought he had got the elusive goal in the 68th minute after he headed in a cross, but the linesman had his flag up for offside. He had another go at goal in the 70th minute, but the effort went wide of the left post.

Abdulaziz Al-Ansari replaced Marco Fabian in the 74th minute, as Xavi looked to freshen up the attack. In the 83rd minute, Afif dribbled into the box through the left wing and was brought down by Mercado, but the referee waved away appeals for a penalty.

The score remained the same for the rest of normal time and four minutes of stoppage time, as Al-Rayyan claimed victory.

MATCH DETAILS

Al-Sadd x Al-Rayyan (QNB Stars League Round 17)

Venue:

Jassim bin Hamad Stadium

Lineups:

Al-Sadd: Saad Al-Dosari, Abdelkarim Hassan, Tarek Salman (Mohammed Waad), Khoukhi Boualem, Pedro, Gabi, Jung Woo-young (Hashim Ali), Nam Tae-hee, Akram Afif, Baghdad Bounedjah, Marco Fabian (Abdulaziz Al-Ansari)

Al-Rayyan: Fahad Younis, Franck Kom, Dame Traore, Khaled Muftah (Mohammed Jumua), Yacine Brahimi, Rodrigo Tabata, Abdulaziz Hatem, Mowafaq Awad (Abdulrahman Al-Harazi), Yohan Boli (Sebastian Soria), Gabriel Mercado, Ahmed Al-Sayed

Result:

Al-Rayyan won 1-0

Goals:

9′ Franck Kom

Bookings:

35′ Ahmed Al Sayed

44′ Pedro Miguel

81′ Gabi

81′ Khoukhi Boualem

Referees:

Main referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim
Assistant referee: Saoud Ahmed
Assistant referee: Zahi Al-Shammari
Fourth official: Mohammed Ahmed