Boli strikes twice as Al Rayyan edge Istiklol in thriller

• Rayyan had the final say with Boli scoring with a simple tap-in in the 71st minute

Qatar’s Al Rayyan defeated FC Istiklol of Tajikistan 3-2 in a thrilling AFC Champions League Group A tie at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh yesterday.
In an absorbing encounter, Mukhammadzhon Rakhimov put Istiklol in front but the Tajikistan side soon saw their lead wiped out by goals from Yacine Brahimi and Yohan Boli, only for Mohamed Isaev to draw them level. Al Rayyan, however, took the points thanks to Boli’s second of the night in the 71st minute.
Istiklol started brightly and took the game to their opponents from the start with Eric Bocoum finding space in the centre but his shot from distance was blocked by the Al Rayyan defenders.
Istiklol’s early aggression paid off as they took the lead after just three minutes, Rakhimov starting the move in midfield when he cut across before setting up Shakhrom Suleymanov, who scored with a curling effort from outside the box.
Istiklol’s dominance, however, began to wane after that as Al Rayyan attacked in numbers, forcing the Tajikistan side to defend deep in their own half. Al Rayyan’s persistence paid off in the eighth minute when captain Brahimi scored in spectacular fashion, firing his free-kick into the bottom right corner past Istiklol goalkeeper Rustam Yatimov.
Al Rayyan continued to press and came close in the 34th minute when Ahmed Yasser sent a weighted pass to Mohamed Jumaa at the far post but the defender angled his header wide. The Qatari side, however, doubled their lead with a minute left in the half through Boli, who squeezed his effort past a packed defence following a wonderful team move.
Al Rayyan continued to dictate play after the restart and should have done better in the 51st minute when Ahmed Yasser gained possession off a set-piece situation but his lobbed effort sailed wide. Istiklol had a rare chance moments later, almost catching the Al Rayyan defence by surprise when Mukhammad Isaev sent a clever ball to Manuchehr Dzhalilov who, however, failed to keep the ball in play from inside the danger area.
The game sprung to life in the 67th minute when Al Rayyan failed to clear the ball from inside the six-yard-box, leaving an unmarked Mohamed Isaev to blast home the equaliser into the top left corner. Al Rayyan, however, had the final say with Boli scoring with a simple tap-in four minutes later courtesy of Nikita Chicherin’s flick-on off a corner. Al Rayyan face Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal SFC on Monday, with Istiklol to play UAE’s Sharjah FC.