Al Sadd stand between Michael Olunga and Al Duhail's Qatar Cup dream
Michael Olunga’s Al Duhail will renew their rivalry with Al Sadd in the Qatar Cup final on April 6.
Both sides won their respective semi-final matches at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Thursday to set up another blockbuster clash.
Kenyan striker Olunga, who was recently ranked 13th on the list of top-30 in the Best Footballer in Asia 2022 Comprehensive Ranking, beat the advancing Saoud Al-Khater in the 51st minute to level the scores 1-1 after Al Wakrah led 1-0 at the break from Mohammad Benyattu's 14th minute goal.
Nam Tae-hee slotted home the winning goal after Al-Khater spilled the ball on 72 minutes. Al Duhail, who had won once against Al Wakrah in the last four matches, survived several late scares to win the second semi-final.
In the early kick-off, 10-man defending champions Al Sadd scored four goals in their 3-1 semi-final victory against nine-man Al Arabi at the same venue. Jung Woo-young and Baghdad Bounedjah gave Al Sadd a 2-0 halftime lead. Al Sadd’s second goal came four minutes after Al Arabi defender Ahmed Suhail was red-carded.
Al Sadd defender Tarek Salman got his marching orders on 54 minutes but Al Arabi suffered another blow when defender Marc Muniesa was sent off on 63 minutes.
Record eight-time champions Al Sadd capitalised on their numerical strength to grab their third goal through Musaab Khidir in the 79th minute but conceded late on after Boualem Khoukhi scored in his own net.
Al Sadd and Al Duhail have met in the last three Qatar Cup finals. Al Duhail lifted the 2018 crown by defeating Al Sadd 2-1 before losing 4-0 in 2020 and then 2-0 in 2021.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min from Korea Republic was ranked the Best Footballer in Asia. BY DAILY NATION
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