Two second half goals secured Al Khor a place in the third round of the Emir Cup as the Northern side managed to cancel out a 0-1 deficit and beat Mesaimeer 2-1 at Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium. The win ensured Al Khor will face Al Ahli in the third round of the competition next Thursday.


Action from the match between Al Kharaitiyat (in blue) and Qatar SC (in black and yellow). PICTURE: Shemeer Rasheed

Soud Nasser gave Mesaimeer a deserved first-half lead from close range – but they were then indebted to the woodwork as it denied Al Khor’s offense two glorious chances in the closing stages of the first half.
Al Khor rallied after a passive first 45 minutes that saw them face the possibility of an early season finale; however, they drew level with 11 minutes left when Korean Ha Do Park took advantage of some poor defending from Mesaimeer’s end to slot the ball home from the edge of the six-yard box.
As the game looked destined for penalty shootouts to decide the winner, a trademark corner kick from Antoinio was converted by defender Nayef al-Buraiki to put an end to the match and an abysmal season forMeasimeer who were earlier relegated from the Qatar Stars League.


An Al Gharafa player (second from right) takes a shot at Muaither goalmouth during their Emir Cup second round match on Saturday. PICTURE: Shemeer Rasheed

In another round two match-up, seven-time champions Al Gharafa advanced to the next stage following a narrow 1-0 victory over Qatargas League champions Muaither. Vladimir Wies scored the lone goal on 53 minutes to pit his side against Umm Salal for Thursday’s match in a repeat for 2008 Emir Cup final
Kharaitiyat, Wakrah
advance too
Al Wakrah on Saturday edged Al Shamal 2-1 on penalty shootouts to reach the third round.
In the game played at Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium, Wakrah – six time Emir Cup finalists – couldn’t force an outright victory which saw the teams needing a penalty shootout to decide a winner.
Abdulrahman Mesaad and Abdulrahman Mohammed scored for the winners.
Al Wakrah will now meet Al Sailiya in the second round of the Emir Cup on Thursday at the Grand Hamad Stadium.
The two teams presented a feisty contest, engaging in rough tackles for ball possession.
However, the stalemate was ended when Al Wakrah players dominated the penalty shootout.
Simultaneously, Al Kharaitiyat reached the third round of the Emir Cup after Mahmoud Saad’s goal gifted them victory over Qatar Sports Club.
Al Kharaitiyat, just about deserved victory, with Hassan Abdelfatah and company going close on several occasions throughout the 90 minutes of play. Conversely, it was a largely disappointing display from Qatar SC, who despite the attempts of coach Sebastiao Lazaroni to recuperate, continued to break the hearts of their loyal just days after being relegated from the Qatar Stars League.
Al Kharaitiyat will now take on Al Arabi in the third round of the competition.