DOHA: Sergio Garcia and Rodrigo Tabata scored a goal apiece as leaders Al Rayyan began the second phase of the Qatar Stars League with a 2-1 win over an organised and fighting Al Sailiya at the Al Gharafa Stadium on Monday.
The win took the league's leaders’ tally to 39, 12 clear of second-placed Al Sadd.
Sergio Garcia put Rayyan in front in the 64th minute but Sailiya equalised less than two minutes later thanks to a stunning hit from Mirghani Al Zain. The midfielder collected the ball 30 yards from goal and produced a cracking right-footed finish which goalkeeper Omar Bari could only fingertip into the top corner.
It was Tabata who had the final say though. With a draw looking likely, Rayyan’s talismanic midfielder was brought down in the box. He dusted himself down for the spot-kick and fired the ball into the centre of Gregory Gomis’s goal. The penalty was far from convincing, but it will matter little to Jorge Fossati and his men.
Rayyan almost increased their lead in the 88th minute but Fahad Khalfan’s header rebounded off the post with Gomis motionless.
Both sides created chances in the first half, and it was Sailiya who came closest to breaking the deadlock. Abdulgadir Ilyas Bakur twice came close in the opening ten minutes. He almost diverted a cross which Bari did well to prevent going over the line, and then hit the post with a right-footed effort after latching on to a raking cross-field pass.
As ever Tabata was at the centre of Rayyan’s creativity. He narrowly missed the target with a free-kick early on and then twice came close to opening the scoring at the end of the half; first with a header and then with a left-footed effort from a tight angle.
In the day’s other games, Umm Salal and Al Khor played out a goalless draw while Al Kharaitiyat defeated Qatar Sports Club 3-2.
Burkina Faso striker Yahia Kebe netted a brace andMohammed Abdulrab added the other for Kharaitiyat while Mousa Al Allaq and Mouhcine Iajourfound the target for Qatar SC.
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