Al Arabi thrash Al Sailiya 7-1 in the Amir Cup semi-final, setting up a look-forward-to final against Al Sadd on May 12.

Youssef Msakni stole the show as Al Arabi secured a crushing 7-1 victory over Al Sailiya in the Amir Cup semi-final at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium. 

Now, Al Arabi gears up for its final game against rival Al Sadd for a memorable match for both fans next month. 

Msakni scored three headers, in the 12th, 45th, and 90+1 minutes, completing his hat-trick in stoppage time. The Dream Team dominated the game with 80% ball possession in the first half, forcing Al Sailiya to completely lose its pace to its opponent and kiss the Amir Cup final goodbye. 

Al Arabi coach Younes Ali was delighted with the result and stated that all players and team management worked tirelessly to reach the final of the Amir Cup. 

“It will be a great honour to shake hands with His Highness The Amir and we are looking forward to it,” he said after the game.

Al Arabi set the tone of the match from the first whistle – and never looked back. 

Msakni opened the scoring after Rafinha initiated the move for the opening goal. The Brazilian cleared two defenders outside the box to find space for Helal Mohamed, who chipped a ball toward Msakni. The Tunisian did well to evade his marker and scored his first header.

The Dream Team added a second goal from a penalty after Mohamed Diame fouled Ahmed Fathi Abdullah. Rafinha converted the penalty with a straight hit, and Al Arabi’s confidence grew. Soon after, Msakni headed in a ball from Ibrahim Nasser Kalla following a corner kick, and Al Sailiya could not find a way back into the match.

Al Arabi resumed the match in a similar fashion and continued its assault on Al Sailiya’s defence. Ahmed Suhail Al Hamawende extended the lead with a free-kick ten yards outside the box, and Omar Al Somah inflicted another blow to Al Sailiya with a strike two minutes later. 

The Syrian striker completed his brace scoring Al Arabi’s sixth goal before Carlos Strandberg scored a consolation goal for Al Sailiya in the 85th minute.

After Al Sadd had outclassed Al Shahania 5-1 on Monday, Al Arabi’s display was equally impressive, and they will now face the eight-time champions in the Amir Cup final on May 12 at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium. 

Arabi won their last of the six Amir Cup titles 30 years ago and lost in the final to Sadd in 2020. Now, the team will be looking to extract revenge for that loss. 

However, Younes Ali is not underestimating the task ahead saying that the final against Al Sadd “is going to be difficult, but it’s too early to talk about it as we will now focus on our matches in the QSL [QNB Stars League].”