Doha, January 24 (QNA) – Al Rayyan rallied to hold Al Gharafa to a 2-2 draw in Week 11 of the 2022-2023 season QNB Stars League at the Al Gharafa Stadium on Tuesday.
Striker Yohan Boli struck twice for Al Rayyan after the rivals were leading on both the occasions. The teams were locked 1-1 at half-time.
While Mehdi Tahrat (12th minute) and Ishak Belfodil (52nd minute) scored for Al Gharafa, Boli hit the net in opening half’s added time (45+1) and in the 83rd minute. It was an exciting contest which gave lots of thrill to the good crowd, but both teams also had their fair share of missed chances.
Strengthened by the return of their players Amro Seraj, Homam Al Ameen and Ahmed Alaaeldin, The Cheetahs were in an attacking mood. And they struck early too when Tahrat battled for the ball before sending in a superb left-footer from well outside the box.
Al Rayyan kept up the battle and in the 33rd minute Boli had a good chance off a free-kick, but his right-foot kick saw the ball go well over the bar. Al Gharafa hit back and in the 30th minute Belfodil had a clear chance but while trying to steer clear of Al Rayyan goalkeeper Ivanildo Rodrigues, the Algerian striker sent the ball just wide of the left post.
Boli then levelled the terms for his side, connecting a good cross from Mohamed Abdelfatah just before the half time whistle.
On return, Al Gharafa soon went up again as Belfodil moved in from the left and into the ‘D’ going past defenders for a fine solo goal.
Al Gharafa captain Yacine Brahimi then in the 76th minute broke through the rival defence line to provide a golden opportunity to Belfodil with a cross but the latter failed to get the vital connect.
In a reversal, Boli returned into big action catching on to a long ball he held back a challenging defender to go through with the ball for an equalizer.
In the dying minutes of added time, Al Rayyan substitute Ali Karami made a good attempt, but his shot went straight to Al Gharafa goalkeeper Qasem Burhan who held fort, again.
With a fourth draw in their 10 matches, Al Gharafa are seventh in the table with 13 points, while Al Rayyan are 11th after their second draw with five points. (QNA)
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