Mission accomplished
IT WAS an unforgettable evening of royal grandeur and Al Sadd decided the proceedings deserved a sublime conclusion.
The Emir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani had just unveiled the breathtaking Khalifa International Stadium and the inaugural match, the Emir’s Cup final between Sadd and Al Rayyan, had a host of other top dignitaries, including FIFA President Gianni Infantino, in attendance. As if that was not enough, it also had the world’s attention as the refurbished stadium was the first finished venue of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and boasted an innovative cooling technology that made a May summer day feel like a pleasant winter evening.
For Sadd though, the historic occasion last week provided the perfect chance to underline their status as the biggest and most successful club in the country.
So the Wolves, whose home ground just a couple of kilometres away is modelled after Manchester United’s Old Trafford, promptly made the spectacular arena their own theatre of dreams.
Jugurtha Hamroun linked up with Xavi Hernandez to score a sensational winner in the first minute of stoppage time as Sadd deservedly won their 16th Emir’s Cup with a 2-1 verdict. Before that, Hassan Al Haidous had converted from the spot in the 56th to cancel out Rodrigo Tabata’s 49th-minute goal for Rayyan.
A brief, yet dazzling light and sound show, that included stunning fireworks, marked the stadium inauguration. But the game’s opening half was devoid of any pyrotechnics on the pitch which resembled a double-toned green velvet carpet, with both teams failing to break the deadlock.
Sadd supporters briefly thought their team had taken the lead when Morteza Mohammed put the ball in the net in the seventh, but the celebrations were premature as the goal was ruled offside.
It came after a rapid-fire sequence of shots, first by Ibrahim Majed and then by Al Haidous. Rayyan keeper Omar Barry did well first to block Majed’s free-kick, which took a wicked deflection, and then to deny Al Haidous who had a crack at the goal off the rebound.
Rayyan captain Tabata then came close to scoring with a trademark free-kick, only to send it inches wide, drawing a chorus of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from the crowd and a big sigh of relief from Sadd keeper Saad Al Sheeb.
After Hamroun and Baghdad Bounedjah missed half chances, Xavi had a great opportunity to put Sadd ahead at the stroke of half-time. However, his left-footer from close range after Mohammed Alaaeldin made a mess of his defensive clearance, was hit straight at Barry.
Out of the blue, Michael Laudrup-coached Rayyan, who started with Alaaeldin’s elder brother Ahmed in attack instead of their star striker Sebastian Soria, took the lead just four minutes into the second half. But the scorer was hardly a surprise.
Tabata, as he has done on countless occasions, popped up behind the defence to poke the ball home after his initial effort from a cross by the younger Alaaeldin was saved by Saad.
It did not take much time for Jesualdo Ferreira’s men to draw level as Rayyan conceded a penalty in the 55th after Bounedjah proved too fast for Alaaeldin, whose attempt to clear the ball ended up with him whacking the Sadd striker’s right foot instead.
Al Haidous coolly slotted home from the spot and even though Saad had to make a stunning stop to deny Gonzalo Viera after a Tabata free-kick, Sadd were becoming more and more dangerous.
But when Bounedjah’s volley failed to find the mark from close and Viera denied Ali Asad with a last-ditch tackle, it seemed Rayyan would take the match into the penalties.
The game had moved into injury time and that was when Xavi served a special reminder of his capabilities.
Three touches of understated brilliance from the former Barcelona midfield maestro — a flick with his heel to bring the ball under control, a cushioned header to move away from chasing Koh Myong-Jin and an inch-perfect pass just out of the reach of a sliding Viera — split the Rayyan defence wide open. It left Hamroun, who was determined to hang on despite struggling with cramps, with the straightforward task of applying the finishing touches.
The Algerian did that in style, blasting the ball into the roof of the net for his second straight championship winner after the goal against El Jaish in the Qatar Cup, which was Sadd’s 66th title.
Rayyan, stung by the reversal, were frantically looking for an equaliser, but it was Sadd who came close to scoring, with substitute Hamza Sanhaji’s control letting him down with the goal at his mercy and Ali Asad’s left-footer rattling the crossbar.
It did not matter as, moments later, Sadd fans were wildly celebrating again, this time with white placards having ‘67’ written in bold black letters on them. dsp
