Al Rayyan’s Stunning Comeback Crushes Umm Salal 6-2 in Qatar Stars League Thriller

Al Rayyan launched their second-leg Qatar Stars League campaign with a commanding 6-2 comeback victory over Umm Salal at the Grand Hamad Stadium on Friday. Trailing 1-2 at halftime, The Lions stormed back with five second-half goals in a dazzling display of offensive power.

Roger Guedes (6th and 78th minutes) and Achraf Bencharki (60th and 68th minutes) led Al Rayyan’s charge, with Tamim Mansour (84th minute) and David Garcia (88th minute) adding late strikes to complete the rout. Umm Salal’s goals came from Antonio Mance (43rd minute) and Oussama Tannane (45+4 minute).

The win propelled Al Rayyan to fifth place in the standings with 16 points, while Umm Salal slipped to eighth with 14 points.

The game began with Al Rayyan on the offensive, and they found an early breakthrough as Guedes capitalized on a precise Bencharki cross. The Brazilian’s strike ricocheted off the crossbar and into the net, giving Al Rayyan a 1-0 lead.

Umm Salal responded with resilience, leveling the match in the 43rd minute when Mance headed in a corner kick. Just before halftime, Tannane gave Umm Salal the lead, slotting a diagonal left-footed strike into the right corner after a swift assist from Kenji Gorre, making it 2-1.

Al Rayyan emerged from the break with renewed intensity. In the 53rd minute, Umm Salal goalkeeper Loukay Sherif Ashour made back-to-back saves to deny The Lions. However, Al Rayyan’s relentless pressure paid off in the 60th minute when Bencharki fired a right-footed strike from the top of the box, leveling the score at 2-2.

Bencharki struck again in the 68th minute, breaking through the defense to slot the ball past the keeper, putting Al Rayyan ahead 3-2. Guedes added another goal in the 78th minute after a Mansour header was deflected, extending the lead to 4-2.

Tamim Mansour capitalized on a Guedes cross in the 84th minute, deflecting the ball into the net to make it 5-2. David Garcia sealed the victory in the 88th minute with a towering header off a corner kick, concluding the match at 6-2.

Al Arabi Defeat Al Shahania 3-1

In the day’s other fixture, Rodrigo Sanchez’s brace (23rd and 26th minutes) helped Al Arabi secure a 3-1 win over Al Shahania at Al Thumama Stadium. Isaac Lihadji added a third goal for Al Arabi in the 54th minute, while Pelle van Amersfoort netted a consolation goal for Al Shahania in the 87th minute.

The victory lifted Al Arabi to ninth place with 13 points, while Al Shahania dropped to 10th with 11 points.