Caitlin Dillon
Reigning Champions Al Duhail have secured their place in the finals of the 47th edition of the Amir Cup, after overpowering Al Sailiya in their semi-final match held at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, coming out 3-0 on top.
Mohammed Muntari was the star of the show, creating multiple chances for the winning side.
Muntari opened the scoreline for last year’s champions, slotting past Saoud Mubarak following Nadir Belhadj’s foul on Edmilson, which resulted in a free-kick.
It wasn’t long before opportunity struck again for Duhail in the 28th minute, as Moaaz weaved his way through Al Sailiya’s defence before assisting Edmilson’s shot into the back of the net, allowing Al Duhail to go into half time with a 2-0 lead.
Once the second half got underway, Al Duhail’s defence looked somewhat shaky at times, with hope beginning to return for Al Sailiya. However, the hopes were crushed once Abdulqadir Ilyas’ 63rd minute chance went wide. Al Duhail responded by putting the game to bed in the 67th minute, with Muntari effortlessly slotting the ball past Mubarak yet again.
Al Sailiya posed very little threat beyond this point, and Al Duhail could play out the final 23 minutes secure in the knowledge that they would advance to their second consecutive Amir Cup final.
Al Sadd continued to push the pace, keeping Al rayyan’s defense moving fast on their feet. A second goal was almost achieved in the close to the end of the first half, however Al Rayyan’s goalkeeper Fahad Younis rose to the occasion to save a spot kick the QNB stars league’s top scorer Baghdad Bounedjah’s penalty.
Al Rayyan tried to regain themselves on the offense but could not break through Al Sadd, along with Al Sadd’s goalkeeper Saad Abdulla Al Dosari blocking Al Rayyan’s goal attempts
With six minutes remaining in the match, Bounedjah was able to make amends as he was able to score a goal for his wolves in the 84th minute to seal the game and book their spot and the finals.
Today will see the second semi-final match take place tonight between Al Duhail and Al Sailiya to determine the other finalist for the prestigious Amir Cup finals which will take place at the newly built state of the art Al Wakrah Stadium on the 16th of May