Lekhwiya put in a clinical performance to defeat Al Rayyan 2-0 and win the Sheikh Jassim Cup yesterday. An early goal from new signing Youssef al-Arabi in the third minute of the match gave Lekhwiya the upper hand, and the Red Knights wrapped up their solid performance with a goal in the 92nd minute of the match through Ismail Mohamed. 
The Sheikh Jassim Cup is played between the winners of the Qatar Stars League and the Emir’s Cup. Rayyan were the dominant team in QSL last season and had wrapped up the title with five matches to spare. Lekhwiya managed just fourth last season but they ended on a strong note by winning the Emir Cup. 
And now they have started this season by grabbing the first piece of silverware on offer. Lekhwiya were the more industrious of the two sides. With this being the first match of this season, both teams were expected to a bit rusty at the start. 
But both teams got off to a good start. Rayyan had a close chance when Rodrigo Tabata curled in a ball that just went over the bar. But then Rayyan displayed some horrible defending to let in the first goal of the match. 
Lekhwiya got a corner and that produced a goal mouth scramble that Rayyan defenders had a couple of chances to clear but they ball just kept ping-ponging between players until al-Arabi dispatched it into the back of the net. 
This was the first competitive match for the former Al Hilal player and this third minute fox-in-the box strike has given him a great start with Lekhiwya.
Rayyan boast of a strong strike force, including the likes of Tabata and Sebastian Soria. And Soria almost found the equaliser in the seventh minute. The striker got a great through ball and was one on one with the Lekhwiya keeper but Soria’s eventual strike was saved by Claude Amine. 
In the 38th minute, Lekhiwya nearly doubled their advantage. Youssef Msakni almost guided a Karim Boudiaf cross into the net with a leaping volley but his shot went wide. 
Mohamed Muntari was the next to get a chance for Lekhwiya when he got a kind rebound. But with the goalkeeper not in his position, Muntari should have done better than fire the shot straight at the defender. 
Just as the first half was ending, Mohamed Musa pulled off a great clearance when he kicked the ball away from the legs of Soria. Rayyan would have had their equaliser otherwise. 
The second half saw a similar script. Both teams shared almost equal possession. It was an end-to-end game with both teams having their chances. But in the final third of the pitch, it was Lekhwiya who seemed to be more threatening. Rayyan tried hard to find an equaliser but it ever came.
They lost a player in the 87th minute when Pascua Jesus got a red card for a foul on Ismael Mohamed. And then in the dying minutes of the game Rayyan conceded another goal. Luiz Junior took a freekick outside the box which hit the post and rebounded in the path of Mohamed and he made no mistake.  
It was a more evenly matched encounter than what the final scoreline indicated. By the end of the match, Lekhwiya had 51 percent of possession. And they had 11 shots on goal. Rayyan had eight shots on goal. There wasn’t much to differentiate between the two teams. Both had great players up front, individuals who could change the course of the match easily. But Djamel Belamdi’s boys found that finishing touch when given the opportunity while Jorge Fossati is sure to give a dressing down to his team for not being lethal enough. 
It was an exciting insight into what one can expect from this QSL season. But for now, it is Lekhiwya who will celebrate, having won the first trophy of the season and the early bragging rights.