The Peninsula
Al Rayyan and Al Gharafa played out a battling 0-0 draw yesterday in their round-2 match of the QNB Stars League at the Al Sadd Stadium where VAR intervened to deny goals on two separate occasions.
The first, at the beginning of the match, went against Al Rayyan’s Lee Jaeik for offside as he outjumped his marker to head the ball into the net.
Not long after, it was Sofiane Hanni’s goal which was chalked off for Al Gharafa due to an infringement in the build-up to the goal.
The Lions’ Yacine Brahimi later saw his rasping shot diverted by the assured hands of Qasem Burhan in the Al Gharafa goal.
It was, however, The Cheetahs with the lion’s share of opportunities as they countered with good efforts from Ahmed Alaaeldin and Othman Al Yahri as they pushed for a winner.
With Al Rayyan having a strong claim for a penalty denied late on, it was Al Gharafa who nearly grabbed a late victory when Sofiane saw his shot blocked on the line, followed by Moreno Hector rising highest at a corner to watch his header thunder off crossbar to safety.
Earlier, Al Khor secured a fantastic 1-0 victory over Umm Salal in a memorable match at the Al Janoub Stadium.
The only goal of the game was scored by Ahmed Hammoudan in the 65th minute.