Qatar Cup: Lekhwiya desperate to retain title

2016-04-19 01:12:55

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) FROM LEFT: Lekhwiya’s Yusef Msakni captain Karim Boudiaf Al Rayyan’s Hamid Ismail captain Rodrigo Tabata Al Sadd’s captain Xavi Hernandez and his team-mate Hassan Haydoos El Jaish’s Abdurahman Abker and Abderrazak Hamdallah pose with the Qatar Cup trophy at a special media event in Doha yesterday.

Doha: Champions Lekhwiya are looking to retain their prestigious Qatar Cup trophy as the Djamel Belmadi’s side didn’t necessarily hit the heights domestically this season and are seeing the prestigious tournament as a realistic way of picking up silverware this season.

The coveted tournament featuring four top teams is starting this weekend. The Red Knights started the QSL season impressively with three wins on the bounce including an eye catching 7-0 thrashing of Al Kharitiyat in round 2.

However the former QSL champions stuttered in the following five games only picking up one point from a possible fifteen including defeats to Al Arabi Al Rayyan and a narrow 1-0 loss to Umm Salal which piled the pressure on Djamel Belmadi.

Lekhwiya rallied in late November to register eight straight wins in the QSL putting the Red Knights firmly in the Qatar Cup places. Eye catching wins included a 4-2 win over rivals Al Sadd and a comprehensive 4-0 win over Al Gharafa.

The winning streak lasted all the way to late January and gave Djamel Belmadi some breathing space.

Come the start of February AFC Champions League commitments meant that Lekhwiya’s league form dipped again.

They only managed three points from a possible twelve; although that was a big 3-0 win over top 4 rivals El Jaish.

The final defeat in February essentially halted their quest to regain the Falcon shield with a 5-0 humbling at the hands of Al Rayyan.

Going into the final quarter of the season Lekhwiya’s form suffered slightly picking up only two wins and a draw from the final 7 QSL games this included three straight defeats to the likes of Al Sadd Al Wakrah and a thrilling 5-4 loss to Al Ahli.

With form being everything going into the Qatar Cup it may seem that Lekhwiya may not have the best chance to regain the famous trophy.

The majority of this squad have won everything domestically in Qatar and only need to register two wins to hoist the famous Qatar Cup. Belmadi can call on a host of players who have plenty of experience.

No player will be more important for Belmadi than midfielder Nam Tae Hee.

The South Korean international has grabbed ten league goals this season his second highest tally since joining Lekhwiya in 2011.

While he also registered 10 assists for him team-mates. Nam has started twenty five of twenty six games in the QSL making him one of the first names of Djamel Belmadi’s team-sheet. Nam will have to be at his brilliant best if the Red Knights are to succeed in the Qatar Cup this year.The Peninsula

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