Doha: Al Rayyan and Al Ahli secured a 2-2 draw in their Week 8 match of the 2024-2025 season Ooredoo Stars League at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium of Al Rayyan club on Saturday.
Both Al Rayyan goals were scored by Róger Guedes in the 28th and 65th minutes, respectively, while Oumar Sekou (4th minute) and Erik Expósito (37th minute) scored for Al Ahli to increase The Brigadiers points tally to 15, while The Lions moved to 10 points.
The highly entertaining match showcased the strengths and weaknesses of both sides, with Al Ahli capitalising on the defensive frailties of Al Rayyan to open the scoring in the fourth minute through Sekou, who hijacked an innocuous back pass intended for goalkeeper Fahad Younes before slotting home a right-footed shot from the centre of the box.
Stunned by the early goal, The Lions went to work immediately to restore parity, and they almost got it in the 15th minute, only for a Guedes header from the centre of the box from a cross by Gabriel Pereira to be excellently saved by Al Ahli’s goalkeeper Marwan Badreldin.
After persistent pressure, Al Rayyan finally got their desire in the 28th minute through Guedes, whose right-footed shot from outside the box sailed straight home without any hindrance. The precious assist came through the legs of Abdelaziz Hatem.
Nine minutes later, The Brigadiers were back in front through Expósito, whose 25-yard right-footed shot, from an assist by Matej Mitrović, caught goalkeeper Younes napping with the ball hitting the back of the net despite his stretched attempt at making a save.
The difference remained unchanged going into the dugout at halftime.
A penalty call for Al Rayyan three minutes into the second half was rescinded after a lengthy VAR check to the consternation of The Lions fans and bench.
Their wait for the desperately needed equaliser, however, did not last for too long as Guedes hit his second of the night from close range after getting a never-to-be-missed pass from Gabriel Pereira.
Al Rayyan gained the ascedency after the equaliser and Hazem Shehata almost gave them the lead in the 68th minute only for his attempt to painfully hit the woodwork.
Al Rayyan had the final opportunity at wrapping up the game with a win in six minutes of added time, with Achraf Bencharki finding himself unmarked in front of goal, but the Moroccan international left-footed shot from the centre of the box went astonishingly higher than expected to ensure that both teams ended the game on a no win, no lose note.
