League strugglers Al Khor beat current QSL champions Al Rayyan 2-1 to claim three points at Al Khor Stadium .
Reigning champions Al Rayyan were looking for their third straight league win in order to keep the pressure on the top teams after a poor start to the season but instead left empty handed after conceding two late goals from Al Khor who were in desperate need for three points to avoid a relegation fight.
Al Rayyan came out looking the livelier team and kept the ball in Al Khor’s own half for the first for the first ten minutes of the game. Al Khor began playing some decent counter attacking football and managed to carve out a number of chances but it was Al Rayyan that found the back of the net first thanks for a goal from Uruguyan defender, Gonzalo Viera.
Al Rayyan’s captain, Rodrigo Tabata, glided in a lovely cross from a free kick on the left wing that was expertly controlled in the 18 yard box by their big number 23, Sebastian Soria. After some fancy footwork in the box, Soria was able to evade his marker and drill a low, hard cross into the six yard box where Viera was lurking and able to stab the ball home from just two yards out to give The Lions the lead.
The second half started much like the first did, with Al Rayyan dominating possession. Al Rayyan’s first clear cut chance of the second half came on the 59th minute when Tabata latched onto a lovely through ball when running into the 18 yard box and hit a low, hard shot aiming for the bottom left hand corner of Al Khor’s goal. Al Khor’s goalkeeper, Baba Djibril, was quick to spot the danger when the ball was played and able come out and get down quickly once Tabata let rip, deflecting the shot past his post with an outstretched left leg.
Al Khor began to overturn the possession and take control of the game in the hunt for the equaliser. The pressure paid off and their equaliser came on the 82nd minute thanks to a scrappy goal from Musab Majid who slotted the ball home from six yards out after the goalkeeper failed to keep hold of a hard header from Saleh Al Yazidi who found space and leapt well to connect with a fierce cross.
The equaliser spurred Al Khor on and just six minutes later, they got the winner and snatched a vital three points thanks to a sublime solo goal from Babou Sidiki. Picking the ball up on the right wing 22 yards out, Sidiki ran at two backtracking Al Rayyan defenders only to cut inside and unleash a lightening shot from the edge of the 18 yard box, leaving the goalkeeper with little chance as it smashed onto the post before hitting the net.
The three points will be a big sigh of relief for Al Khor who are hoping to avoid a relegation fight. Leaving empty handed may have all but ended Al Rayyan’s hopes of retaining the championship.
Source: alkhor-club.com