Alkass Digital
Rangers defeated Roma in a nail-biting penalty shootout following a wonderful game that featured two goals, two red cards, and countless moments of high drama.
The Glaswegians came into the final as the tournament’s top scorers, having plundered 16 goals in four matches en route to the final. Roma had won all of their games - albeit with the aid of a penalty shootout in the semi-final against Aspire – scoring 12 goals in the process.
Both sides contained an abundance of talent. Up front for Rangers, Nathan Young-Coombes combined great physicality with a keen eye for goal, while in midfield skipper Kai Kennedy was the fulcrum around which much of the Glasgow team’s play revolved.
Roma’s Edoardo Bove had demonstrated his sharp attacking instincts, while left-winger Mory Bamba had been unplayable at times, particularly against Aspire.
Additionally, both finalists had shown remarkable defensive resilience throughout the competition, with goalkeepers Jay Hogarth and Pietro Boer performing superbly for Rangers and Roma respectively.
The final began at a cracking pace that never let up. Inside three minutes, the Italians’ skipper Mattia Ciucci was yellow-carded for scything down Young-Coombes on the edge of the area. Kennedy’s ensuing free kick was deadly accurate and forced a brilliant save from Boer.
As expected, both teams were committing to attack, and two minutes later Roma’s Matteo Cancellieri was desperately unfortunate to see his brilliant drive from over 30 yards out slam against the bar with Hogarth well beaten.
There was barely time to draw breath as chances came thick and fast. On 10 minutes Young-Coombes ran from the halfway line, evading challenges as he entered the penalty area and fired a low shot goalwards that Boer pushed away.
The tackles were also flying in, and Rangers’ Cole McKinnon was given a stern talking to by the referee following a late challenge on Allesio Buttaro.
With 20 minutes gone, Roma won three corners in quick succession, each of which were successfully repelled, but demonstrated that the Italians were turning up the temperature, and soon after they were ahead. Cancellieri advanced down the right and Roma’s attackers flooded the opposition area. Bamba climbed high at the far post to direct a firm header past Hogarth, sending the Italian fans wild.
Rangers immediately fought back, with Young-Coombes proving difficult to contain. Shortly before the half-hour mark, Ciucci was adjudged to have hauled down the Rangers forward 25 yards from goal and given his marching orders.
Rangers were piling on the pressure, with young-Coombes terrorising the Roma backline. In response, coach Fabrizio Piccareta made the surprise decision to substitute goalscorer Bamba for combative midfielder Andrea Astrologo. It was an early sign that Roma were perhaps content to hold on to what they had, particularly given their numerical disadvantage.
However, on the stroke of half time, Rangers were also reduced to 10 men, when captain David McClelland saw red for a wild challenge on Astrologo in the centre circle. It was the last meaningful action of a pulsating first 45 minutes.
As the second half got underway, it rapidly became clear that Roma’s flirtation with a defensive formation was temporary, as they again got forward in numbers, with Cancellieri repeatedly asking serious questions of Harris O’Connor down the right.
The shock of losing their captain at the end of the first half appeared to have knocked Rangers out of their stride, as they struggled to rebuild their momentum. On the hour mark, the increasingly influential Cancellieri was inches away from doubling Roma’s advantage when his fine low effort from the edge of the area curled just wide. It seemed only a matter of time before they added a second but then, out of nowhere, the Scots levelled.
Young-Coombes displayed superb footwork as he advanced down the right before cutting the ball back to Ciaran Dickson, who produced an astonishing strike from a narrow angle that drew gasps of disbelief from the packed crowd at Aspire Zone.
Roma once again retreated, deploying a backline of five defender to repel Rangers, and seeking to play out down the wings whenever they had a chance to break. This tactic almost reaped reward with 20 minutes left, when Bove got away down the left and floated in a cross that Daniel Tueto Fotso got his head to, but could not direct on target.
With a quarter of an hour remaining, Young-Coombes was withdrawn for Christopher McKee, who had previously come off the bench to score a hat-trick against ESS.
Both sides continued to display a commendable commitment to attacking football, and Kennedy went close following a great run through the middle, demonstrating that Rangers were still very much in the tie, despite the loss of their talismanic striker.
And, with a minute remaining, the Scots very nearly pinched it, when an unmarked O’Connor popped up six yards out and looked certain to score, only for his header to strike the crossbar.
A penalty shootout loomed, but even then the teams couldn’t be separated, with all 10 players from each side – including the goalkeepers – taking spot kicks. Finally, with the penalty tally at 8-8, Hogarth made the decisive save, leaving Rangers’ captain Kennedy to step up and coolly put away the winning penalty.
The 2019 Al Kass International Cup final proved to be perhaps the greatest in the tournament’s history, and it seems certain that some of the players who graced the game will be back in Doha for 2022.