Lekhwiya keep Qatar Cup title hopes alive

4/25/2016 1:19:39 AM

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Lekhwiya skipper Karim Bu Daif (left) and Al Rayyan’s South Korean striker Myongin Koh vie for the ball during their Qatar Cup 2016 match played at Al Sadd Stadium yesterday.

Doha: The reigning Qatar Cup champions Lekhwiya kept their hopes for a repeat performance at this year’s tournament alive when they outclassed Qatar Stars League (QSL) champions Al Rayyan 3-1 in a virtually one-sided semi-final at Al Sadd Stadium yesterday.

Al Rayyan who were hoping to carry their momentum forward with a comprehensive win against the strong Lekhwiya outfit failed to fulfil the expectations of their coach Jorge Fossati.

A collective effort which came from the winners’ star midfielder striker Youssef Al Msakni M Muntari and Nam Tae Hee cleared their way in the Qatar Cup path at the end of an exciting clash last night.

The Tunisian international Msakni opened up the scoring for Lekhwiya when he netted a beauty in the 50th minute of the game and the lead was doubled just six minutes later when Muntari added one to the Lekhwiya account.

Lekhwiya’s versatile South Korean midfielder Nam Tae Hee proved a creative force for Djamel Belmadi’s men and throughout the last few games and he showed signs that he has adapted well since the departure of Vladimir Weiss.

The same fact was proven once again when he added more misery to Fossati’s side when he scored the third goal for his team to make it three against nil in the 75th minute of the game.

In the dying moments of the game Al Rayyan’s midfielder Victor Casares scored the only goal for the QSL Champions with just three minutes remaining.

Al Rayyan who claimed the QSL title with five games to spare have not won a match since lifting the Falcon Shield. Lekhwiya on the other hand have been prioritising the AFC Champions League in recent months and could easily have dropped out of the top four had Umm Salal’s form been slightly better at the business end of the season.

Lekhwiya will now meet the winner of the crunch tie between El Jaish and Al Sadd in the final and will be hoping to retain their Qatar Cup crown.The Peninsula

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