Algerian forward Yacine Brahimi scored an early goal against Al Sailiya to secure an all important win for title-chasing Al Rayyan in their Week 20 match of the QNB Stars League (QSL) at the Al Janoub Stadium yesterday. Brahimi struck the only goal of the match in the eighth minute as the former champions closed in on the leaders Al Duhail with 45 points. Al Duhail are just one point ahead of the Lions, however, they will have the opportunity to extend the lead when they meet defending champions Al Sadd tomorrow .

Despite the early setback, Al Sailiya were able to pose a considerable threat to the Diego Aguirr-coached side. Brahimi, one of the tournament top scorers, placed the ball home past goalkeeper Amine Lecomte in no time after being assisted by youngster Ibrahim Masoud from the left. Brahimi had another chance to double the lead, but was unlucky with a free-kick in the 30th minute. After many exchanges in the second half, Al Rayyan’s Abdulrahman Al Harazi missed a chance in the 87th minute when he chipped the ball past Lecomte from the right only to see it go wide after he was set up by Brahimi with a through pass from the middle.

Karim Ansari almost equalised for Al Sailiya deep into stoppage time, but his angular shot went inches wide. The Iranian had earlier been thwarted by Al Rayyan goalkeeper Fahd Younis. Yesterday's win was Al Rayyan's 13th win of the season. The defeat, the ninth of the season, dented Al Sailiya's hopes of moving into top four. Al Sailiya remained on 25 points, and six behind fourth placed Al Gharafa with only two rounds of action remaining. Al Sailiya finished third last season, their best performance in the QSL history, as they secured places in both Qatar Cup and AFC Champions League play-offs. Elsewhere, at Al Sadd Stadium, Al Wakrah recorded a 2-1 win over Al Arabi.

Cristian Ceballos (71st-minute penalty) and Omar Ali (75) scored for Al Wakrah as The Blue Wave raised their tally to 24 points. It was their sixth victory as they are featuring in the top flight after a space of two seasons. The defeat, their seventh this season, further thwarted Al Arabi’s hopes of making it to the top four as they stayed on 25 points. Hamdi Harbaoui scored their goal in the 20th minute through a penalty. Today, Al Gharafa will meet Al Khor in their Week 20 fixture. Al Shahania will face Qatar SC at AL Sadd Stadium in today's second match. Even though Al Shahania are tat the bottom of the standings with 14 points, they have been doing well ever since Nabil Anwar took charge of them replacing Spaniard Jose Murcia. They beat Al Ahli 3-1 in Week 18, before a 2-2 draw with Al Sailiya last week. Al Shahania have two victories, eight draws and nine defeats against their name with a goal difference of -18 (22 goals for and 40 against).

They are sure to give off their best in the remaining games in order to stay in the top flight. Qatar SC, who played out a 1-1 draw with Umm Salal in Week 19, are ninth with 18 points. Al Gharafa, who lost 0-2 to Al Duhail in Week 19, are fourth in the standings with 31 points. The Cheetahs, coached by Serb Slavisa Jokanovic, are likely to finish among the top four, given that they have a six-point difference with fifth-placed Al Arabi with only three matches remaining. Al Khor, coached by Omar Najhi, are 11th with 15 points.

Source: thepeninsulaqatar.com

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