The Peninsula
A commanding performance yesterday helped Al Rayyan beat Al Arabi. A double by Gelmin Javier Rivas saw Al Rayyan win 3-1.
After a few intense minutes, Al Rayyan opened the scoring through Gelmin Javier Rivas who found the net for boys in red in the 13th minute at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium. Rivas smashed a powerful shot into the top end of the net for his side’s first goal.
In the 19th minute, Korean international Myongin Koh produced a powerful left-footed drive to send the ball crashing into the Al Arabi net with keeper Mahmoud Ibrahim in no position to block the shot.
In the 37th minute, Al Rayyan’s overseas import Lucca Borges Brito was booked with a yellow card by referee Abdulrahman Ibrahim Al-Jassim for a rough tackle on Diego Jardel. Earlier Mohammed Juma Al-Alawi was the first one to be booked by the referee in the 20th minute.
Five minutes from the first-half whistle, Al Arabi’s Ivory Coast striker Wilfried Bony curled in a beautiful shot from inside the Al Rayyan box but the ball narrowly swung away from the goalpost.
Early in the second half, Al Arabi pulled one back when Wilfried Bony clipped a ball from close range above the head of Al Rayyan keeper Fahad Younis Baker following a goal-mouth melee.
In the 67th minute, Rivas scored his second of the match and his team’s third goal as Al Rayyan started to dictate terms with confidence.
In the dying seconds of the match, Wilfried Bony hit the crossbar as Al Arabi failed to score despite the referee allowing eight minutes of injury time.