Al Arabi end a 30-year-old wait to lift the Amir Cup

Al Arabi end a 30-year-old wait to lift the Amir Cup

QLNews
By QLNews

Al Arabi’s Syrian striker Omar Al Somah scored twice to help his team beat Al Sadd 3-0 in the Amir Cup final at a packed Ahmad bin Ali Stadium on Friday. The win helped end Arabi’s 30-year-old wait for the Amir Cup title.

HH The Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani awarded the prestigious trophy and gold medals to the winners in front of 37,839 spectators. He also gave away the silver medals to the Sadd players.

The final match was also attended by HH Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Personal Representative of HH the Amir; HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani, Shura Council Speaker Hassan bin Abdulla Al Ghanim, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, AFC chief Shaikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa and a number of other senior officials.

The Dream Team resisted a fiery fight from Sadd in the first half before Al Somah’s attacking prowess helped them lift the coveted title for the ninth time — their first since the 1992-93 triumph. 

While Sadd were the better side in the game’s first hour, an Al Somah header in the 62nd minute gave Arabi a shock lead. He then sealed their victory with a strike in the eighth minute of stoppage time after substitute Hamid Ismaeil had doubled Al Arabi’s lead in the 90th.

It was a great finish to the season for Arabi, who had been consistent throughout the year. They had earlier finished as runners-up behind Al Duhail in the Qatar Stars League.

Younes Ali, who became the first Qatari coach to win the Amir Cup since 1994, praised his players.

“Sadd were very tough but we played well. I want to thank our fans who supported us throughout the season. We’d an excellent season irrespective of our victory in the final. It was sheer teamwork of all people associated with Arabi. We’ll now focus on doing better in the next season,” said Ali, who became the fourth person to lift the title both as player and coach. 

Al Somah also credited teamwork for the win.  

“We’re delighted to win the prestigious Amir Cup so many years. After falling behind in the QSL title race, all our focus was on winning the Amir Cup. The entire Arabi team, the coaching, technical and administrative staff played their part,” he said.

Sadd, who were seeking a record-extending 19th crown, remained trophy-less after losing their season’s second final following a 0-2 defeat against Duhail in the Qatar Cup title clash last month. They ended third in QSL standings.

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