Al Rayyan’s dream of a domestic treble this season came unstuck in spectacular fashion at the Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Stadium when they crashed to a 3-1 defeat against Lekhwiya in the first semi-final of the Qatar Cup yesterday.


Lekhwiya’s Nam Tae Hee (right) celebrates his goal.

Jorge Fossati’s side had swatted away all comers to dethrone Lekhwiya in the Qatar Stars League with much to spare, but ever since that they seem to have completely lost the plot, lurching from one defeat to another.
So much so that they failed to win any of their five remaining matches in the QSL, and yesterday their jinx continued in the four-team Qatar Cup when their deficiencies were thoroughly exposed by Djamel Belmadi’s Lekhwiya.


Rayyan coach Jorge Fossati. Right: Lekhwiya coach Djamel Belmadi

Lekhwiya were clinical after the break and were 3-0 up before Rayyan got a late consolation from Nathan.
In truth, the opening 45 minutes were tight and tetchy as both teams looked for a foothold in the tie. Lekhwiya looked the better side in the opening exchanges, controlling the ball and making the most of the few chances they carved open.
The best of which fell to midfielder Karim Boudiaf after a fine cutback from wingback Khalid Muftah, but the Lekhwiya captain’s shot ballooned over the bar. The first half ended evenly poised at 0-0.
In the second half, Belmadi’s side came out on the front foot and duly took the lead on the 49th minute. A long ball from Boudiaf was met by a well-timed run of Yousef Msakni. The Tunisian international then nodded the ball past onrushing Al Rayyan goalkeeper Omar Barry.
Al Rayyan immediately went looking for an equalizer and captain Rodrigo Tabata drew a sharp save from Lekhiwya stopper Ivanildo Santos.
Al Rayyan where masterfully spooked by Lekhwiya on the break in the 56th minute, effectively ending the contest.
Speedy 22-year-old Mohamed Muntari made a run into the opponent’s box and received an incisive diagonal ground pass from his captain Boudiaf. He then side-stepped Al Rayyan goalie Bari before a composed finish from the Qatari international gave Lekhwiya a 2-0 lead.
Al Rayyan looked shell-shocked and tried to create chances but where denied by a resilient Lekhwiya backline. The Red Knights underlined their dominance on the evening with a third goal of the highest quality, thanks to South Korean international Nam Tae Hee.
The diminutive midfielder scythed his way past three Al Rayyan defenders and finally sidestepped the keeper to send the ball into the goal. The strike marked his eleventh goal of the season, and ensured Lekhwiya’s place in the Qatar Cup final on April 29 against either Al Sadd or El Jaish.
Nathan gave the Al Rayyan faithful something to cheer about after he headed the ball into the goal from a corner. However, it was too little too late for Al Rayyan, who were simply outclassed by their opponents on the night.
Coach Belmadi was pleased with the performance of his players.
“It was one of the best performances by the team in recent months. After losing our Qatar Stars League title we were very determined to make amends and today’s win gives us confidence going into the final and thereafter the Emir Cup,” he added.