The Peninsula
Nam Tae-hee scored a brace as title-contenders Al Duhail sailed into the quarter-finals of the 50th Amir Cup after a comfortable 4-2 victory over Al Khor at the Thani Bin Jassim Stadium.
In the other Round of 16 match, Colombian star James Rodriguez scored a stoppage time goal as Al Rayyan defeated 10-man Umm Salal to advance in the prestigious tournament.
Captain Almoez Ali put Al Duhail ahead in the 10th minute, heading the ball in from a close range following Michael Olunga’s assist. Tae-hee then scored a fabulous goal off a free kick that curled on the left, beating Al Khor goalkeeper Jehad Mohammad in the 18th minute.
Al Duhail continued to dominate the match and Abdeirahman Moustafa made it 3-0 after receiving a through pass from Ali Afif, four minutes before the breather.
Al Khor came back as a better side and cut the deficit, with Said Mohamed Brahimi scoring their first goal in the 52nd minute before Tae-hee regained the three-goal lead for The Red Knights with a strike in 64th minute.
Al Khor pulled one back again through Juma Al Habsi, who struck in 78th minute but Al Duhail came out as comfortable winners.
“I told my players to seek early goals to avoid any surprise, and I am happy as they remained focused till the end,” Al Duhail coach Luis Castro said after the win.
“Al Khor played well in the second half but we managed to achieve a comfortable victory,” he added.
Al Duhail will take on Al Sailiya in the quarter-finals as The Peregrines shocked Al Arabi in their Round of 16 clash on Monday.
Later at the Thani Bin Jassim Stadium, coach Nicolas Cordova got off to a winning start with The Lions, thanks to a superb volley by Rodriguez in 90+2 minutes.
Al Rayyan dominated the match with over 70 percent of ball possession but they struggled to score until Rodriguez’s goal from near the penalty spot took them to the last-8 stage where they will meet Al Wakrah or Al Shahania.
Umm Salal played the entire second half with 10 men after Yaseen Al Bakhit was sent off in 45+2 minutes.
AL GHARAFA EYE LAST-8 BERTH
Today, Al Gharafa will play against Al Kharaitiyat, hoping to advance to the quarter-finals.
“We know Amir Cup is one of the most important tournaments in Qatar and therefore we have worked hard in training so that we can defeat Al Kharaitiyat. Our team has been performing well but we respect everyone,” Al Gharafa coach Andrea Stramaccioni told a pre-match press conference yesterday.
Al Kharaitiyat coach Marius Panait said his team will fire on all cylinders as he aimed for an upset at the Grand Hamad Stadium.
“We have some great players in our team and we have a 50 percent chance [of winning]. We will strive to win and go through. We know very well that we will face a big team but this doesn’t mean we will lose. We will respect them [Al Duhail] and will fight for a win,” said Panait.
The last Round of 16 clash will be played between Al Wakrah and Al Shahania at the Grand Hamad Stadium.
“We will play with all seriousness against Al Shahania as they are strong team. The game will not be easy even though they are in the second division. So we will need to give our best in order to win,” said Al Wakrah coach Bartolome Lopez.
Al Shahania coach Nabeel Anwar was confident, saying his team must stay focused throughout the match.
“We are entering the tournament well prepared because it is special for us. We have to be very focused in the 90 minutes. We must fight and avoid mistakes in order to overcome Al Wakrah,” said Anwar.
ROUND OF 16
YESTERDAY'S RESULTS
Al Duhail beat Al Khor 4-2
Al Rayyan beat Umm Salal 1-0
TODAY'S FIXTURES
4:40pm: Al Gharafa vs Al Kharaitiyat at Grand Hamad Stadium
7:30pm: Al Wakrah vs Al Shahania at Grand Hamad Stadium