Ooredoo Cup: Al Arabi, Al Duhail Qualify for Semifinals

Doha, October 15 (QNA) - Al Rayyan and Al Arabi were tied 1-1 in Round 5, Group B of the 2022-2023 season Ooredoo Cup at the Al Egla 4 Stadium on Saturday. Al Rayyan took the lead through youngster Mustafa Elsayed in the 39th minute, while Fahad Shnein scored the equalizer for Al Arabi in the 74th minute. Al Rayyan raised their score to five points and finished the group stage in fourth place. On the other hand, Al Arabi took their tally to 10 points and were placed second in the group, behind Al Duhail (13 points). It may be noted that the top two teams from each group qualify for the knockout semifinals, where Group A winners play Group B runners-up and vice-versa, and the winners will make it to the final. Al Duhail and Al Arabi had already made it to the semifinals after the Round 4 action. Al Rayyan were the best in the opening minutes and managed to surge ahead before the half-time whistle through Elsayed. Al Arabi were rewarded for their better display in the second half as Shnein got them the equalizer. However, both teams failed to break the deadlock and had to share the spoils. Meanwhile, Al Duhail beat Al Shamal 3-2 in Round 5 at the Qatar University 4 Stadium on Saturday to top Group B of the 2022-2023 season Ooredoo Cup. The win, Al Duhail's fourth besides a draw, saw them finish their group stage with 13 points. The Red Knights qualified for the semifinals along with second-placed Al Arabi (10 points). Suhaib Gannan (15th minute), Michael Olunga (18th minute) and Yousef Ayman (75th minute) fetched the goals for Al Duhail, while Abdulrahman Rashid (53rd minute) and Amjad Atwan (58th minute) did so for Al Shamal. Al Duhail will meet Al Sadd, who finished second in Group A, while Al Arabi face Group A winners Umm Salal in the semifinals, as per the tournament rules. With nothing at stake, Al Shamal rallied to challenge Al Duhail after being down 0-2 at half-time. Suhaib opened the scoring for Al Duhail and soon their Kenyan star Olunga underlined his sterling form by getting into the scoring act. Al Shamal battled to level scores in the second half, with Abdulrahman Rashid and Atwan producing goals. The match saw exciting moments before Ayman got the third and winning goal for Al Duhail. (QNA)