Salim Cheniouni
Matchday five saw a
close battle between Al-Arabi and Al-Rayyan in a local derby in which Al-Rayyan
scraped a narrow 1-0 win over Al-Arabi. The difference maker in the game was
defender Mohammed Jumma who scored the first goal in the 37th
minute.
This result puts
Al-Rayyan at the top of the league table with 11 points, although this may only
be temporary, as both Al-Sadd and Al-Duhail have their matches postponed to
play the second leg of the crucial AFC Champions League quarter-finals.
The single goal came as a result of a long
ball into the Al Arabi box, which hit the crossbar over the head of goalkeeper Masoud
Zarayi, and a faulty clearance gave Mohammed Jumma an opportunity to head home
the rebound.
Al-Rayyan dominated
the first half with 66% possession and frequent chances on goal, however the
second half saw a failure to maintain the level of play, which Al-Arabi took
full advantage of. This resulted in many missed chances for Al-Arabi, including
a goal by Mohammed Al-Neel which was ruled offside in
the 87th minute.
The likes of Diego Jardel and Mailson could
not provide the necessary spark in the final third of the pitch for an
equaliser. The final whistle could not come any sooner for Al-Rayyan, leaving Mohammed
Jumma’s first half goal as the deciding factor.
With star players like Rodrigo Tabata,
Sebastian Soria, Ibrahim Khalfan and new Argentinian signing Jonathan Menendez,
Al-Rayyan look to maintain the good form when they face Al-Sadd at Jassim bin
Hamad Stadium on the 22nd of September, in what is widely regarded
as the most hyped match in Qatari football. Meanwhile, Al-Arabi look to go back
to their winning ways when they face Al- Shahania SC on the 20th of
September.