Al Arabi defeated Al Rayyan 2-1 in Week 8 of the 2021-2022 season QNB Stars League at the Al Arabi Stadium on Saturday.

Farshid Esmaelli (48th minute) and Abdulrahman Mohammed (54th minute) scored for Al Arabi.

Yohan Boli (69th minute) reduced the deficit for Al Rayyan.

It was Al Arabi’s fifth win of the season and it took their points to 16, while Al Rayyan lost for a third time and stood on nine points.

As expected, both sides hit the ground. In the 20th minute, Al Rayyan keeper Fahad Younes blocked a shot by Aron Boupendza from close range just two minutes after being attacked by Abdullah Marafi from inside the Al Rayyan box.

Just before the half-hour mark, Al Rayyan’s James Rodriguez unleashed a shot from outside the Al Arabi box, but the ball was blocked by keeper Sataa Al Abbasi.

Both sides walked off the pitch without a goal in the first half, but things got moving for Al Arabi early in the second. Esmaelli, showing great alertness, deflected a loose ball that had bounced off the Al Rayyan keeper after a shot by Boupendza from the edge of the box. The Iranian flicked the ball between the legs of Fahad for his side’s first goal.

Six minutes later, Al Arabi made the most of the momentum swing their way.  Abdulrahman Mohammed, who was unmarked inside the Al Rayyan box, easily deflected an indirect free-kick taken by Hamed Ismail a few metres from the corner flag.

Boli scored for Al Rayyan by heading home a long-range free-kick taken by Rodriguez. Boli jumped high to send the ball past the Al Arabi keeper.

Al Rayyan almost scored again the very next minute, but Abdulaziz Hatem’s shot from inside the box was deflected away by the keeper.

Boupendza then drilled a left-footed shot from the edge of Al Rayyan box, but the keeper dived to his left to block it.

Deep into stoppage time (90+8), Rodriguez was given the marching orders. Seconds earlier, Yacine Brahimi and Steven Nzonzi of Al Rayyan were also shown yellow cards for contesting calls by the referee.