DOHA: Al-Rayyan secured a dominant 6-2 victory over Umm Salal in the opening match of the 12th round and the first of the second half of Qatar football league, Qatar Stars League.
Al-Rayyan's goals came from Brazilian Roger Guedes (scoring twice in the 6th and 77th minutes), Moroccan Achraf Bencharki (twice in the 60th and 69th minutes), Tamim Mansour Miftah (84th minute), and Spanish David Garcia (88th minute). Umm Salal's goals were scored by Croatian Antonio Minsy (43rd minute) and Moroccan Osama Tannane (45+5th minute).
This win marked Al-Rayyan's second consecutive victory and the first under their new coach, Portuguese Artur Jorge. The team now has 16 points, temporarily moving up to 5th place in the standings, while Umm Salal remains with 14 points, dropping temporarily to 8th place.
Al-Rayyan dominated early in the match with possession and control, reaching Umm Salal's area quickly and taking the lead in the 6th minute. Moroccan Achraf Bencharki made a run and passed the ball to Brazilian Roger Guedes, who scored.
The team continued to pressure, and Morad Naji nearly scored a second goal with a powerful shot in the 14th minute, but Umm Salal's goalkeeper, Loay Sharif, made a save. In the 18th minute, Ahmed Al-Rawi missed a good opportunity when he hesitated before shooting.
Umm Salal gradually entered the match toward the end of the first half, with Osama Tannane threatening the goal in the 40th minute. Then, in the 43rd minute, a corner kick taken by Dutch player Kenji Joel was headed into the net by Croatian Antonio Minsy to equalize.
Umm Salal took advantage of this momentum with a quick counterattack, which ended with Tannane passing to Joel and scoring just before the break in the 45+5th minute to give Umm Salal a 2-1 lead.
In the second half, Al-Rayyan came out strong, creating several chances, with Achraf Bencharki scoring a stunning long-range goal in the 60th minute to level the score at 2-2. Mahmoud Hassan /Trezeguet/ almost gave Al-Rayyan the lead in the 65th minute with a powerful shot that was saved by Sharif.
In the 69th minute, Bencharki scored again to put Al-Rayyan ahead 3-2 with a low shot. Al-Rayyan continued their attack, and in the 77th minute, Roger Guedes assisted Tamim Mansour Miftah, who scored to make it 4-2.
Al-Rayyan's fifth goal came in the 84th minute after a well-executed team play, with Guedes passing to Miftah, who easily scored. Spanish player David Garcia capped off the match with a header from a corner kick in the 88th minute, securing a 6-2 win for Al-Rayyan.
