Al Rayyan shock Duhail, to meet Al Sadd in Amir Cup final

Al Rayyan players celebrate their win over Al Duhail in the Amir Cup semi-final. PICTURE: Jayan Orma

Al Rayyan are one win away from salvaging what was a largely forgettable season after a shock 2-1 victory over Al Duhail put them in the final of the Amir Cup on Monday. The Lions were barely in contention to win the QNB Stars League and crashed out of the Asian Champions League without a single victory earlier this month, finishing even below India’s Goa FC with just two points from six matches. But as the season heads to a close, Al Rayyan find themselves somewhat fortuitously in position to win Qatar’s richest tournament as Dame Traore and Yacine Brahimi struck on either side of the break at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium. Al Duhail can claim with some justification that luck was not on their side, but the fact remains that they are themselves to blame for their plight by not converting any of the numerous chances that came their way.