HH The Emir declares Khalifa stadium open, Al Sadd emerges as first winners

HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani inaugurated the Khalifa International Stadium. On behalf of every Qatari and Arab citizen, he declared the stadium ready to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Just a few hours later, at the end of some frenetic footballing action, Al Sadd emerged as first winners out of the refurbished stadium, defeating Al Rayyan 2-1 in the Emir’s Cup final.

Gulf Times reported the Khalifa Stadium as the first 2022 FIFA World Cup venue to be completed, and done five years before the start of the mega event.

HH the Deputy Emir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani and Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kabore attended the inauguration.

Hamroun Jugurtha is Al Sadd’s hero

Hamroun Jugurtha proved to be Al Sadd’s hero as the club lifted the prestigious cup for a record 16th time, reported Qatar Tribune.

The game was tied 1-1 in regulation time and looked headed for a draw and extra time. With four minutes added to regular time, both clubs were on the lookout for the killer blow.

The Algerian was set on goal after a beautiful pass from Spanish legend and skipper Xavi Hernandez. The move opened space for the winger to smash the ball into the top corner of Oumar Barry's post to give the Wolves a famous win in front of a record 47,332 crowd.

The win was Al Sadd’s third Emir Cup success in six straight finals and automatically qualified Jesualdo Ferreira’s men for the AFC Champions League group stage. Al Sadd had also won the Qatar Cup earlier in the season.

Al Rayyan’s Rodrigo Tabata broke the deadlock four minutes into the second session when he connected a through pass to fire a low shot that Saad Abdulla Al Dosari stopped. But the Brazilian-born Qatari international reacted quickly to slot home the rebound from close range. The Wolves’ incessant pressure finally yielded dividend when Al Rayyan defender Mohammed Alaaeldin kicked Bounedjah in an attempt to clear the ball. Hassan Haidous scored from the resultant penalty.