El Jaish registered a 2-1 victory over a spirited Al Wakrah in the Qatar Stars League to ensure they stayed on par with title rivals Lekhwiya, Al Rayyan and Al Sadd after the first round of action.
At the Lekhwiya stadium yesterday, goals from Sardor Rashidov and Romarinho from the penalty spot were enough for the soldiers who had to endure a nervy final 15 minutes after Al Wakrah striker Pablo Olivera pulled a goal back for his side.
Sabri Lamouchi’s team enjoyed the majority of the possession throughout the tie and looked sharp going forward. They broke the deadlock on the 24th minute when a cross from Ali Sanad fell to the feet of Uzbekistan international Rashidov and the Jaish number 10 had enough time to control the ball before unleashing an unstoppable half-volley past Al Wakrah stopper Hassan Idriss.
El Jaish looked confident on the ball with Brazilian attacker Romarinho, fresh from signing a new three year deal with the side, looking good leading the Jaish attacking line.
Al Wakrah where reduced to long shots for the majority of the first half. A speculative effort from Moroccan playmaker Mouhcine Moutouali saw the ball balloon well over the crossbar. The first half ended with El Jaish going into the break with a slender 1-0 lead.
Jaish started the second half with real intensity and could have doubled their lead just three minutes after the restart. Rashidov’s powerful shot crashed against the underside of the cross bar.
However, it wasn’t long till Jaish doubled their lead.
El Jaish were awarded a penalty on the 49th minute after QSL debutant Seidou Keita was pushed down in the box by Ahmed Kahil. Romarinho stepped up and calmly stroked the ball into the bottom right hand side to give Jaish a two-goal lead.
Lamouchi’s side looked dangerous in the final third and struck the woodwork for the second time in the match. In the 57th minute, Romarinho’s effort from inside the box left Wakrah keeper Idriss scrambling.
Al Wakrah eventually found their way back into the tie with playmaker Mouhcine Moutouali pulling the strings in attack. His powerful run and shot brought out a good save from Jaish stopper Khalifa Ababacar.
In the 73rd minute, Wakrah striker Pablo Olivera curled in a shot to give his side a lifeline in the match with just 15 minutes to go. Team mate Mouhcine Moutouali held the ball up well and laid the ball off for Olivera, and his effort found the back of the net for the Blue Waves, a perfect debut for the Uruguayan hit man.
Wakrah probed for an equalizer and could have had one had Pablo Olivera kept his shot down in the final minutes of the tie.