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Hosts score 2-1 win over UAE’s Al Wahda in Asian Champions League
Ikoli Victor
Doha
Reigning Qatar Stars League (QSL) champions Al Rayyan began their AFC Champions League campaign with a flying start start scoring a hard fought 2-1 win over UAE club Al Wahda on Tuesday.
The match played at the Al Sadd Stadium witnessed a large presence of vociferous Rayyan supporters and several Wahda fans from the United Arab Emirates.
Gonzalo Viera scored the opener with a close range header and provided the assistu8206? for Caceres to win the tie at the hour mark after RIM Chang Woo had equalised.
The game started brightly for the hosts as Sebastian Soria's dashing run from the right flank was a constant worry for the Al Wahda defence.
Sebastian Tagliabue was the main threat for the Emirati side as the skillful and powerful Argentine striker forced two corner kicks in the opening eleven minutes.
The Rayyan pressure paid off as Gonzalo Viera headed the home side into the lead from close range after Nathan Otavio's goal-bound effort was cleared off the line by Mohammad Abdulbasit. The rebound for the Uruguayan was nicely dispatched into the net in the 13th minute as the goalkeeper was left helpless on the turf.
Garcia was denied a goal when his well-taken shot was blocked by Rim Chang Woo. Some brilliant counter-attacking took centrestage with Daniel Goumou feeding Soria a beautiful pass, who turned his marker inside out and squared for Viera to allow the ball through his legs for Garcia to shoot at target in the 20th minute.
The Argentine striker Tagliabue came close to leveling the tie with a blistering strike that forced Oumar Barry to go low with a save in the 28th minute. His strike partner Ismail Matar provided the pass from a header.
Rayyan kept pressing and kept the visitors at bay looking for a counter-break with long balls. One such moment fell to Qatari international Soria, whose first touch completely exposed defender Hamdan al Kamali and faced with the post, but he waywardly shot wide at the half hour mark.
After successfully blocking Garcia's earlier goal-bound strike, unmarked South Korean Rim Chang Woo scored the equaliser using his knee from a corner kick in the 35th minute.
Soria squandered a golden chance when he fired the ball after being gifted a pass by the opposing defender. A minute before the break, the wasteful striker was too wide again from another pass from the opposing team.
Soria soon took a new position as a right wide man in the second half. In the opening five minutes, the striker had made two decent crosses inside the box but had no teammate to connect.
Musaab Khodir set on by Tabata had the first sight at goal with a low shot that never troubled the Al Wahda custodian.
Al Wahda made the first substitution when striker Tareq Ahmed gave way for attacking midfielder Jorge Valdivau8206?.
Caceras restored Rayyan's lead with a thumping header from the near post with the assist from Viera (60th minute).
The Al Wahda backline failed to clear a ball from a free kick that arrived for Viera to clip for the defender to head into the netu8206?. A minute later, Tabata saw his curling strike from inside the box parried away by the goalkeeperu8206?.
With time running out for the Emiratti side, Dzsudzsak saw his free kick go an inch wide from 25 metres.
Al Wahda was denied a goal by the impressive Barry, who produced the save of the match with a fantastic parry to thwart the goal-bound header of Tagliabue.
Substitute Mohammed Rashid put the ball into the Rayyan net but it was declared offside with six minutes remaining on the clock.
Scoreline
Al Rayyan (QAT) 2 (Gonzalo Viera 13, Victor Caceras 60)
Al Wahda (UAE) 1 (Rin Chang-Woo 35)
