Al Rayyan Club finished the Qatar Men’s Volleyball League in style, displaying their resilience, composure and winning habit against Police at Al Arabi Club Indoor Hall on Wednesday. They recorded a gritty 25-16 12-25 16-25 26-24 15-11 triumph to bag the title for the third year in a row.
In another match, Al Arabi needed four sets to overcome El Jaish 25-16 12-25 16-25 26-24 15-11 to finish second. The army team rounded out the podium, while Police managed fourth spot.
Qatar Volleyball Association President Khalid Ali al Mawlawi and Secretary-General Mohammed Ali al Mohannadi were present at the closing ceremony and gave away the prizes. Al Rayyan took home QR300,000, Al Arabi earned QR200,00 and El Jaish were richer by QR100,000.
Coached by Italian Daniele Bagnoli, Al Rayyan had already sealed the League crown last week when they secured an unassailable lead of four points in the 19th and penultimate round with a 3-1 victory against their bêtes noires Al Arabi Club.
Today, Al Rayyan, who tried to use the entire bench after Italian star Cristian Savani experienced some problem. The defending champions faced another test of character when they were 1-2 down against Police after a bright start.
Al Rayyan then fought back by using outside hitter Ali Ishaq and their experience, drawing levels and forcing the tie-breaking set after saving a match point.
Later as Al Rayyan pushed harder, Police fell apart in the early parts of the decider. A four-point charge after 3-3 put them on a roll and they were 10-5 up. Then Police also tried to reorganise themselves and used a bad service from Al Rayyan to collect four more points to reach 10-11.
Ishaq then smashed home, Jose Miguel Caceres of Police was blocked and Al Rayyan set up the match point. Police managed to delay the defeat, making it 11-14. Then they got a touch out to seal the victory. This was the 11th successive victory for Al Rayyan in the League.
Out of 20 matches, Al Rayyan lost only two. In February, they were beaten 0-3 first by El Jaish and then Al Arabi edged them in five thrilling sets. However, that turned out to be a wake-up call for Al Rayyan, who remained unbeaten since then.
This was the second title for Al Rayyan in the season, having won the GCC Clubs title last month in Saudi Arabia. They had lost their match to Police but staged a grand comeback to win the regional title. Al Arabi won the Federation Cup and followed it up the Super Cup, beating Al Rayyan in the one-off match.
Usman Ajab of Al Rayyan commented after the victory: “Before this match, we had already won the League. This match was more important for Police, who were trying to win and finish second or third position. Today, the coach was trying to play all the young players, saving the big players for the rest of the season.
“We’re delighted to win the League for the third year in a row. We’re happy for our coach, fans and the management. We had our setbacks in the middle of the season and lost two matches. But we bounced back and stayed unbeaten for 11 matches.
“Even tonight, there were some problems and we were trailing 1-2 and then faced a match point. We eventually came through, using our experience and maintaining our superiority,” added Ajab.
“This season has been good for us. After the GCC title, we secured the League now. We’ve to keep up our winning habit for the rest of the season when the Qatar Cup and Emir’s Cup are hosted,” he said.
Al Rayyan coach Bagnoli said, “It was a good test of my team and my players showed good attitude. It was a match we didn’t want to risk our big players. Our libero Sulieman had some problem. We played a wonderful volleyball in the first set.
“Then Savani also had some pain, so I changed him. Then the match went up and down. I tried to change the players but it didn’t work. Police took two sets, but Al Rayyan fought hard from the match point to turn around the match.
“I’m very happy with this kind of victory in the last match. It’s good for the mentality for my players. It surely comes with some good training.
“Now we’ve two more cups to play. We’ll try to de our best and see what happens. Right now, we’re really very happy and want to celebrate the League title,” added Bagnoli.
From Sunday, the Qatar Cup is due to begin. The top four teams of the League will battle it out. The semi-finals will be played on the best-of-three format. While Al Rayyan take on Police, Al Arabi will clash with El Jaish. The final is scheduled on May 2.
Results
Al Rayyan Club beat Police 25-16 12-25 16-25 26-24 15-11
Al Arabi Club beat El Jaish 25-18 25-20 19-25 25-16
Final Standings