Al Gharafa defeat Al Rayyan in thriller to open Week 6 of Doha Bank Stars League

Al Gharafa beat Al Rayyan 3-2 in a thrilling clash at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in the opening fixture of Week 6 of the Doha Bank Stars League.

The goals for Al Gharafa came from Dame Traoré and Ahmed Al-Janahi in the 17th and 44th minutes, while Yacine Brahimi converted a penalty in stoppage time (90+1). Al Rayyan’s Roger Guedes scored both of his side’s goals, in the 42nd minute and from the penalty spot in the 84th.

The victory lifted Al Gharafa to 13 points, temporarily moving them into second place, while Al Rayyan remained stuck on 10 points.

Rayyan began the game pressing Gharafa’s goal, creating several early chances, with Rodrigo Moreno nearly opening the scoring in the 12th minute, only for goalkeeper Khalifa Abubakar to make a fine save.

Gharafa struck first when Brahimi delivered an indirect free kick that was met by Traoré’s precise header, which flew past goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada in the 17th minute.

Rayyan equalised after sustained pressure, with Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrović delivering a cross into the box that Guedes turned into the net in the 42nd minute.

But Gharafa quickly restored their lead when Saifeddine Fadhlallah swung in a superb cross that Al-Janahi converted just two minutes later, making it 2-1 at half-time.

In the second half, Rayyan looked the stronger side and almost levelled when André Amaro’s header was denied by Abubakar in the 73rd minute.

Rayyan piled on the pressure, and Gabriel Pereira was brought down inside the box. After a VAR review, the referee awarded a penalty and sent off Fabricio Díaz. Guedes converted the spot-kick to make it 2-2 in the 84th minute.

However, Gharafa had the final say when Hazem Shehata fouled Al-Janahi inside the area. Brahimi stepped up and calmly slotted home from the spot in stoppage time (90+1) to seal a dramatic 3-2 win for the Cheetahs.