Omar Ali netted a brace as Al Wakrah beat Al Sailiya 3-0 in the first semifinal of the Ooredoo Cup at the Al Sadd Stadium on Saturday.
Ali put Wakrah ahead in the 26th minute, before with Mohamed Benyettou doubled the advantage with a spot kick in the 41st minute. Ali scored his second in the 82nd minute to complete a convincing win for Wakrah.
Wakrah will play the final against the winners of second semi-final, which will be played between Al Gharafa and Al Rayyan today at 5pm
The first semi-final got off to a fast pace as Al Wakrah looked for gaps to launch attacks, putting pressure on Al Sailiya right from the kick-off. The Peregrines, on the other hand, were giving away the ball cheaply with miscued passes.
Ali took first shot on target in the 13th minute deflecting a hit from captain Isaias Sanchez, but Al Sailiya keeper Claude Amine was in the right place to block the attempt. Mohanad Ali got an opportunity to open account for Al Sailiya, but his hit from the edge of the box was too weak for keeper Saoud Al Khater, who caught the ball comfortably.
The Blue Wave looked a better side and Abdulrahman Mustafa’s superb attempt from an acute angle was punched away well by Amine. Al Wakrah finally took the lead following an attack from the right flank. Murad Naji produced a brilliant display, crossing the ball towards Omar Ali, who just had to chip the ball in from a close range in an open goal. But VAR confirmed the player was onside.
After Al Khater made a diving save from Mohanad Ali’s strike 10 minutes before half-time, Al Wakrah doubled their lead, with Mustafa winning a spot-kick.
Moustafa made a fabulous run towards the area and successfully dodged the goalkeeper and when he was about to unleash a shot on goal, Serigne Mbodji denied him the opportunity by committing a foul. Referee Mohammed Ahmed Al Sherif had no hesitation in pointing to the spot.
Benyettou took the penalty kick, putting the ball in with a right-footed kick in the left corner, leaving no chance for a diving Amine as Al Wakrah went into the break with a 2-0 lead.
Al Sailiya, who took just two shots on target as compared to Al Wakrah’s five in the first half, returned as a better side as they looked to bounce back in the match.
Tiago Bezerra led a few attacks by the Peregrines soon after the start of final session, but Al Wakrah were doing well with counter-attacks to maintain their lead.
In an Al Sailiya attack in the 57th minute, Ramin Rezaein’s hit went wide and soon after that Al Khater made a diving save from Tiago’s attempt.
After the hour-mark, Al Sailiya increased their attacks, but they were off target each time they took aim towards the goal.
In the 69th minute, Rami Fayez received a yellow card for a dangerous tackle against Abdulghani Muneer. Omar Ali was also cautioned for a foul near the box, four minutes later.
The stoppages slowed down the pace of the match and Al Wakrah took the scoreline beyond Al Sailiya’s reach, with Benyettou setting up Omar Ali for his second goal, which was similar to his first one.
