Latest news with #2025AmirCup
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Qatar Living
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Qatar Living
Al Gharafa wins Amir Cup after 13-Years
Al Gharafa has been crowned champions of the 53rd edition of the 2025 Amir Cup after defeating Al Rayyan 2-1 in the final held at Khalifa International Stadium. Al Gharafa maintained their lead until the end of the first half, going into the break 2-0 up. The second half saw Al Rayyan as the stronger side, pressing forward and earning a penalty after a foul by the goalkeeper on André Ayew. Roger Guedes converted the spot-kick in the 49th minute to narrow the deficit. Al Gharafa began the match with a clear attacking intent, threatening Al Rayyan's goal and pressuring their defense. Their efforts paid off early when Ferjani Sassi scored a surprise opener in the 4th minute, receiving a pass from Ahmed Al-Ganehi before slotting it home. The early goal gave Al Gharafa a strong momentum, and they continued their high-pressure style, doubling their lead in the 18th minute through Joselu. Al Gharafa nearly extended their lead in the 51st minute when Rodrigo Moreno struck a powerful shot that hit the post. The match took a turn when Al Gharafa was reduced to 10 men after defender Sidy Sané was shown a red card in the 65th minute for a challenge on Guedes. Despite relentless efforts from Al Rayyan in the remaining minutes, they failed to equalize, and the referee blew the final whistle, confirming Al Gharafa's victory and their eighth Amir Cup title, having last won it in 2012. --- Make sure to check out our social media to keep track of the latest content. Instagram - @qatarliving X - @qatarliving Facebook - Qatar Living YouTube - qatarlivingofficial
Qatar Tribune
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Qatar Tribune
FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025 draw to take place in Doha on Sunday
DOHA: The draw for the 11th edition of the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025 will take place on Sunday, in Doha. The tournament will be hosted by Qatar from Dec1 to 18, under the supervision of FIFA for the second consecutive time. FIFA adjusted the timing of the draw ceremony, initially scheduled for Saturday, to Sunday due to its previous conflict with the final of the 2025 Amir Cup between Al Rayyan and Al Gharafa at Khalifa International Stadium. The international football federation, which granted Qatar the right to host the next three editions of the Arab Cup in 2025, 2029, and 2033, used its April 3 world rankings to determine the nine teams that will qualify directly for the finals, while the remaining teams will compete in a preliminary round on Nov 25 and 26, just before the start of the tournament. Based on FIFA's rankings, the teams that have qualified directly for the finals are Qatar (host, ranked 55th), Morocco (12th), Egypt (32nd), Algeria (defending champion, 36th), Tunisia (49th), Saudi Arabia (58th), Iraq (59th), Jordan (62nd), and the United Arab Emirates (65th). The teams that will compete in the playoff round are Oman (77th), Bahrain (84th), Syria (93rd), Palestine (101st), Mauritania (110th), Lebanon (112th), Sudan (114th), Libya (117th), Kuwait (134th), Yemen (158th), South Sudan (170th), Djibouti (192nd), and Somalia (201st). Seven teams will advance from the playoff to join the nine already qualified, completing the 16-team lineup. FIFA announced that Qatar, Algeria, Morocco, and Egypt will head the four groups in the finals and will be placed in the top seeding pot. Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Jordan will be in the second pot. The UAE, along with three playoff winners, will be placed in the third pot, while the fourth pot will include four other playoff winners. Before the finals draw, FIFA revealed the matchups for the playoff round. The 14 teams were split by geography between Asia and Africa, with the highest-ranked Asian team facing the lowest-ranked African team, and so on. According to the April rankings, the following fixtures were determined: Oman vs. Somalia, Bahrain vs. Djibouti, Syria vs. South Sudan, Palestine vs. Libya, Lebanon vs. Sudan, Kuwait vs. Mauritania, and Yemen vs. Comoros. Winners of the first three matches will join the UAE in Pot 3 for the finals draw, while winners of the remaining four matches will enter Pot 4. The previous edition of the FIFA Arab Cup, held in Qatar in 2021, was a resounding success. It was an exceptional tournament played in the same stadiums used for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, featuring high-quality football and record-breaking attendance. A total of 571,605 spectators attended the 32 matches, averaging nearly 18,000 per match. Algeria claimed the title by defeating Tunisia 2-0 after extra time in the final at Al Bayt Stadium, in front of more than 60,000 fans.
ILoveQatar.net
15-05-2025
- Sport
- ILoveQatar.net
Al Gharafa and Al Rayyan secure spots in Amir Cup 2025 semifinals
On 14 May 2025, the final set of quarterfinal matches took place. Al Gharafa faced Al Sadd at Al Thumama Stadium, while Al Rayyan took on Al Duhail at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. Al Gharafa vs Al Sadd Al Gharafa has advanced to the semi-finals of the 2025 Amir Cup after defeating Al Sadd, the defending champions, 5-4 on penalties, following a 2-2 draw in both regular and extra time. The quarter-final match was held on 14 May 2025 at Al Thumama Stadium. Al Gharafa will now face Umm Salal in the semi-final. Umm Salal had also advanced after beating Al-Shamal on penalties (3-2) yesterday, following a 1-1 draw in regulation and extra time. For Al Gharafa, Joselu (Spain) and Yacine Brahimi (Algeria) both scored from the penalty spot in the 45+2 and 53rd minutes. Al Sadd's goals came from an own goal by Al-Gharafa defender Aron Gunnarsson (Iceland) in the 67th minute and a last-gasp equalizer by Boualem Khoukhi in the 90+9th minute. The match began with both sides exchanging attacking opportunities. Al Gharafa's Brahimi fired a powerful shot in the 6th minute that was saved by the goalkeeper, and Al Sadd responded with a long-range effort from Claudinho that went over the bar in the 11th. Joselu nearly scored with a header from a Brahimi cross in the 15th minute, but shortly after, the match was interrupted for about 25 minutes due to a technical issue, resulting in a long stretch of stoppage time. After play resumed, Al Gharafa dominated possession. Rodrigo Moreno had a header go over the bar in the 36th minute, and Joselu had a strong shot blocked in the 41st. A handball by Brazilian defender Paulo Otavio gave Al Gharafa a penalty, which Joselu converted in the 45+2 minute, putting his side ahead. Joselu nearly doubled the lead after receiving another pass from Brahimi, but his shot narrowly missed the post in the 45+10 minute. Al Sadd responded strongly, and Youcef Atal nearly equalized with a powerful shot, but Khalifa Abubakr, Al-Gharafa's goalkeeper, made an impressive save in the 45+16 minute, preserving the 1-0 lead at halftime. In the second half, Al Sadd pressed forward while Al Gharafa relied on a structured defense and swift counterattacks. This led to another penalty after Otأ،vio once again handled the ball in the box. Brahimi calmly converted in the 53rd minute to make it 2-0. Al Sadd missed a key chance to reduce the deficit when Claudinho’s shot was spilled by the keeper, and Rafa Mujica missed the rebound from close range in the 58th minute. Al Sadd finally pulled one back when Claudinho's free kick was inadvertently deflected into his own net by Gunnarsson in the 67th minute. With momentum on their side, Al Sadd pushed for an equalizer. Akram Afif came close in the 72nd minute, firing just over the crossbar, and a header from Mohamed Kamara missed narrowly in the 80th. Al Gharafa still threatened on the counter, and Ahmed Al-Janahi missed a golden opportunity in the 84th minute after going one-on-one with the keeper but shooting too weakly. Gunnarsson redeemed himself by clearing the ball off the line in the 90+2 minute, denying Rafa Mujica a certain goal. But in the 90+9 minute, Al Sadd finally equalized when Hassan Al-Haydos sent in a cross that Boualem Khoukhi headed into the net, forcing extra time with the score tied 2-2. Despite Al Sadd's superiority in extra time, Al Gharafa held firm defensively, and the match went to penalties. Al Gharafa emerged victorious 5-4, securing their place in the semi-finals. Full Time! Al-Sadd (2) : (2) Al-Gharafa Penalty Shootout! Al-Sadd (4) : (5) Al-Gharafa Congratulations to Al-Gharafa on advancing to #Amir_Cup Semi-Final!🏆🟡🔵 — Amir Cup 🏆 (@QFA_EN) May 14, 2025 Al Rayyan vs Al Duhail Edmilson Junior scored the first goal for Al Duhail in the 24th minute, followed by Michael Olunga, who scored the second goal in the 57th minute. Al Rayyan got on the scoreboard with a goal from Róger Guedes in the 85th minute. Róger Guedes equalized the score for Al Rayyan in the 90+8th minute. Full time ended in a 2-2 draw between Al Rayyan and Al Duhail, but Al-Rayyan triumphed 5-4 in a thrilling penalty shootout to advance to the Amir Cup semi-final! Full Time! Al-Rayyan (2) : (2) Al-Al-Duhail Penalty Shootout! Al-Rayyan (5) : (4) Al-Duhil Congratulations to Al-Rayyan on advancing to #Amir_Cup Semi-Final!🏆🔴⚫️ — Amir Cup 🏆 (@QFA_EN) May 14, 2025 RELATED:
Qatar Tribune
03-05-2025
- Sport
- Qatar Tribune
Round of 16 of Amir Cup kicks off on Sunday
DOHA: The Round of 16 of the 53rd edition of the 2025 Amir Cup will kick off on Sunday, and continue through Wednesday, as teams compete for spots in the quarterfinals. The draw for this stage divided the 16 participating teams into two tiers. The first tier includes the top eight teams from the league, while the second tier consists of teams that ranked 9th to 12th in the league, along with four clubs that advanced from the preliminary round, which involved eight Second Division sides. Sunday's matchday features two fixtures: Al Shahania Vs. Mesaimeer at Al Thumama Stadium, and Al Ahli Vs. Qatar SC at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium. In the first game, Al Shahania will aim to make a strong showing in the Amir Cup. Led by Spanish coach Jose Murcia, the team will rely on key players such as Dutch striker Pelle Van Amersfoort, who netted 13 league goals. Mesaimeer, for their part, are looking to continue their solid form after defeating Al Markhiya 2-1 in the preliminary round. They also finished their Second Division campaign strongly, defeating Al Kharaitiyat 4-0 to end the season in seventh place with 12 points. In the second match, Al Ahli will seek to build on a strong domestic season, having finished fourth in the league with 35 points. Croatian coach Igor Biscan will look to extend the club's positive momentum, counting on star players like German international Julian Draxler. Qatar SC, who were runners-up in last season's Amir Cup after narrowly losing the final to Al Sadd, hope to go far this year despite finishing 10th in the league with 23 points. Moroccan coach Youssef Safri will turn to standout talents like South African Percy Tau and Egyptian Ahmed Abdel Kader. The Round of 16 continues on Monday with two more matchups, with Al Duhail taking on Al Sailiya at Khalifa International Stadium, and Al Rayyan facing Lusail at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium. Al Duhail, league runners-up and four-time Amir Cup champions, will be seeking a win against Al Sailiya. French coach Christophe Galtier knows his team must give their all to keep progressing. Star players like Almoez Ali and Moroccan international Hakim Ziyech are expected to play pivotal roles. Al Sailiya, finalists in 2014, go into this round having earned promotion to the First Division after topping the Second Division with 28 points. They also defeated Muaither 1-0 in the preliminary round. Coach Mirghani Al Zain hopes to recreate their 2022–2023 magic, when they knocked out Al Duhail on penalties (5-4) after a 2-2 draw in regular time. In the fourth matchup of the Round of 16, Al Rayyan will aim to secure a spot in the next round against Lusail. Theoretically, Al Rayyan are the favorites. Lusail reached this stage by defeating Al Waab 1-0. They finished fifth in the Second Division with 18 points. The Round of 16 of the Amir Cup will then continue with two more matches on Tuesday. In the first encounter, Al Gharafa will face Al Khor at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, while Al Sadd will play Al Kharaitiyat at Al Thumama Stadium. Al Gharafa, a seven-time Amir Cup champion, enters the match with strong motivation, especially after finishing third in the league and missing out on the title. Under Portuguese coach Pedro Martins, the team hopes to bounce back and push forward in their quest for the Cup. On the other hand, Al Khor will need to overcome the psychological and technical challenges stemming from their relegation to the Second Division. They must remain focused on the match to keep their hopes alive despite the difficulty of the task. Al Sadd, the most decorated team in Amir Cup history with 19 titles, will begin their title defence against Al Kharaitiyat. Fresh off winning the league, Al Sadd is aiming for another Cup success. Al Kharaitiyat meanwhile finished third in the Second Division with 23 points. They reached this stage after defeating Al Bidda in the preliminary round, winning 3-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regular and extra time. The Round of 16 concludes Wednesday with two more matches. Al Wakrah will meet Umm Salal at Khalifa International Stadium, while Al Shamal will face Al Arabi at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium. Al Wakrah, still seeking their first Amir Cup title, hope to make amends for an underwhelming league season that saw them finish eighth with 25 points. The team aims to replicate their strong form from last season when they won the Qatar Cup. Umm Salal are looking to make a strong impression after narrowly avoiding relegation by beating Al Markhiya 2-1 in a playoff match. The prestigious tournament offers them a chance to present a new, improved version of the team. The match between Al Arabi and Al Shamal carries particular significance, as both sides are eager to secure a place in the quarterfinals. Al Arabi are aiming to make up for a disappointing league campaign that saw them finish ninth with 23 points. Al Shamal meanwhile are determined to keep their Cup run alive. It's worth noting that under the tournament's rules, if a match ends in a draw during regulation time, it proceeds to extra time and then to penalty shootouts.
