Al Arabi Club returned to the champion’s circle after two years of setbacks and disappointments as they lifted the newly-launched Qatar Cup with a four-set victory against resurgent El Jaish. At their home court on Friday, it appeared that Al Arabi might have to wait for some more time for a title as they lost the opening set despite leading for most of the time.
But showing the pedigree and poise that made them winners in plenty of championships, Al Arabi recovered admirably and went on to wrap up a dominant 23-25 25-18 25-17 25-15 victory to drive their fans into celebration.
The last title that Al Arabi had won was the Heir Apparent Cup two years ago when they had beaten Al Ahli Club. The Qatar Cup has replaced that championship this year.
For the army team, this is was the first major final, though they have been the reigning double Federation Cup champions.
El Jaish trailed in the first set by four or five points till they surged through Raphael de Oliveira’s two smashes from either side of the court to take the score to 15-17. The Brazilian blocked Philip Maiyo and then both the sides erred on their service. It was followed by de Oliveira rising from the middle to spike a winner that tied the scores at 18.
Al Arabi took a two-point lead again which was negated by El Jaish. Then it was the turn of the army team to push ahead off a Milos Stevanovic ace. El Jaish continued to hold the initiative and Ilia Ivovic blocked Maiyo to earn the set point. The army team snatched the set with Ivovic getting a touch out.
In the second set, Al Arabi were the first to attack and their mixed tactics helped them gain momentum through Italian Cristian Savani and Kenyan Philip Maiyo. They were given a commendable support by Ibrahim Said and captain Juma Faraj. Setter Saif Lemjid was superb with clever lifting.
Ghanem al Romaihi shone well in the libero role. Thiago Oliveira and Hirochi Lin also proved themselves to be strong substitutes.
With the team coming up with strong all-round play, Al Arabi again controlled the early proceedings in the second set and forged ahead by five points (17-12). De Oliveira and Pampel collected for points in a row to take El Jaish within two points of drawing level. This time around, Al Arabi did not slacken up and later, two blocks by Thiago Oliveira enabled them to win the set at 25-18 and tie the set scores.
In the following sets, the army team was expected to come back strongly but Al Arabi scored winner after winner to bag another set. In the fourth one, Al Arabi were so dominant that they were ahead by more than 10 points on a couple of occasions. Maiyo drilled a ball into the El Jaish court to set up the first match point.
El Jaish managed to save the match once but off a short ball, Thiago Oliveira fired a smash to complete the victory.
Al Arabi coach Mohammad al Bahri said after the match, “We knew that El Jaish would be a tough side. They won the first set and troubled even in the second set initially. But we were ready for all situations. We were prepared to go the entire distance.
“We have much stronger centres than the army team’s and their fine performance was decisive in the final. After our win against Al Rayyan, I told my players that we have to confirm our comeback in the Qatar Cup final. There can’t be a better chance than this one to prove our worth.
“I’m very satisfied that we are the winners again after a gap of two years. I’m very happy with my team and their total commitment. This victory has restored the confidence in the players and I’m sure we’ll play well in the upcoming Emir Cup too,” added Bahri.
Al Arabi captain Juma Faraj was happy with the turn-around by the team. “Our performance last season had taken a dip. We finished fourth in the League this year and it was quite hard for us to come back and win the title today in such a short time.
“It was a superb team effort and all the players did their job brilliantly. This was a badly-needed victory for Al Arabi, who had been so dominant in the Qatari volleyball. As a captain, I’m very happy for my team,” said Faraj.
Kenyan pro Maiyo was delighted to have helped Al Arabi win the title in the first tournament for the club. “I’ve completed my mission. This is my first year in Qatar. I played in the first tournament and we won the title. I’m very happy man now and can focus on the future.
“In the first set, we played good and got a good lead. But then we sort of relaxed and this cost us a lot. But we lifted our game and completed the victory,” said Maiyo, who has played a lot in the Bulgarian league.
Italian pro Savani, who had led the national team to the London Olympic Games bronze medal two years ago, said, “We knew we’d have to battle hard as the army team is very strong and tactical. It is not easy to win blocks against them as they use a lot of drops. But we pushed them in the service.
“I’m very satisfied with the first title in the first championship for Al Arabi. I could not play to my full potential as my knee is a bit injured. I could play only 60 percent. But we have a lot of quality players who helped each other to win the title,” added the Italian star.
النتائج
Qatar Cup final
Al Arabi Club beat El Jaish 23-25 25-18 25-17 25-15
Teams – Al Arabi:
Ali Omar, Juma Faraj (captain), Saif Lemjid, Hirochi Lin, Renan Rebeiro (L), Khaled, Ghanem al Romaihi (L), Thiago Oliveira, Philip Maiyo, Cristian Savani, Ibrahim Said, Abdelaziz Bott.
Coach: Mohammad al Bari. Team Manager: Mohammad Jassim al Kuwari
El Jaish: Mohcein, Rushidi, Souhil (L), Christian Pampel, Tarek el Habi, Dukic Boyan, Milos Stevanovic, Ilia Ivovic, Rafael de Oliveira, Nabil Abed, Mubarak Awil, Abouetfa Mohammed, Mohammad Anbar al Kuwari (captain), Mohammad Taha.
Coach: Ivan Joksimovic. Team Manager: Turki al Shammari