DOUBLE CELEBRATION

IKOLI VICTOR

DOHA A BRACE from Brazilian Wagner Ribeiro sealed El Jaish’s first win in the 2013 AFC Champions League as the coach Razvan Lucescu’s side ran away with an emphatic 3-1 victory over Al Jazira of UAE, at the Al Rayyan Stadium, on Tuesday.

Elsewhere, Al Gharafa produced the performance of the day with an outstanding 4-2 away victory over Al Nasr of UAE. Brazilian Nene put behind him the heavy fine and suspension from the Qatar Football Association to score and provide an assist in the Qatari’s side victory in Dubai.

With the win, El Jaish move into contention for a place in the knockout stages. They are currently third in Group A with four points, the same as Al Shabab and Tractor Sazi.

Ribeiro gave El Jaish the lead after just seven minutes before Mahir Yusuf doubled the lead ten minutes later, only for Subair Khater to reduce the deficit in the stoppage time of first half.

A second strike, however, by Wagner Ribeiro in the 58th minute restored El Jaish’s two-goal cushion and they managed to maintain the advantage to pick up all three points.

Both teams went into the game having picked up just one point from their opening two fixtures. El Jaish drew 3-3 with Tractorsazi on match day two while Al Jazira had secured a 1-1 draw with Al Shabab at the same stage of the competition.

Right from the start on Tuesday, it was El Jaish who looked more likely to strike and it came as little surprise when Wagner Ribeiro opened the scoring. The Brazilian sent Saad Sattam free down the right before receiving the return pass and slotting the ball beyond Ali Khaseif in the visitors’ goal.

Ten minutes later, El Jaish doubled their advantage when Yusuf struck with a low left foot shot that found the bottom corner of Khasief’s goal following an assist by Adriano (Adriano Ferreira Martins).

A long range effort from Khaled al Zrigi and a header from Abdullah Aish were just off target as El Jaish continued to press, but the home team were made to pay for those misses when Khater’s in-swinging free kick from the left three minutes into first-half stoppage time missed everyone and nestled in the far side of the goal, giving Al Jazira hope.

Those dreams, though, were short-lived in the thirteenth minute of the second half when Wagner Ribeiro struck once again, beginning and finishing the move that saw his shot go across Khaseif and into the corner of the goal to secure all three points.

Frenchman Djibril Cisse scored the opening goal for Gharafa in the 24th minute with an assist from Nene. Seven minutes later, Hamed Shami made it two for Gharafa and Nene completed a first rout when he scored from the penalty spot in the 45th minute.

Two quick fire goals from Al Nasr in the second half set the game on fire as both sides searched for the next goal.

It was Mubarak Anas, however who got the goal for Gharafa with six minutes to regulation, when he scored Gharafa’s fourth goal in the 84th minute.

Gharafa with six points trail Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia that have a maximum nine points from three matches in Group C
On Wednesday, Lekhwiya will host Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan, while Al Rayyan travel to UAE to face Al Ain.

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