DOHA (Qatar): Al Sadd won the Amir Cup by beating Al Arabi 2-1 in the final at the 2022 FIFA World Cup venue Al Rayyan Venue that was was attended by 20,000 spectators on Friday.
Baghdad Bounedjah scored the first goal for Sadd in the third minute before Aron Gunnarsson equalised for Arabi in the 23rd.
However, Baghdad helped The Wolves annex their 17th title in the competition with an opportunistic effort in the 44th minute.
The venue, which retained its old name Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium, is situated in one of Qatar’s most historic cities.
Sheikh Ahmad Bin Ali Al Thani was the fifth ruler of Qatar, and the first Qatari ruler to bear the title Amir. Sheikh Ahmad was born around 1920 in Doha and became Emir on October 24, 1960 upon the abdication of his father.
The Amir Cup final, which was held on Qatar National Day, was attended by Qatar Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino, UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin, and AFC president Shaikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa were present at the venue which will host seven FIFA World Cup matches from the group stages until the quarterfinals.
The venue, home to Al Rayyan Club, before its demolition in 2015 is within walking distance of Al Riffa Station on Doha Metro’s Green Line.
The inauguration of the new 40,000-capacity stadium follows the successful redevelopment of Khalifa International and the inaugurations of two venues, Al Janoub and Education City.
After Qatar 2022, the capacity will be reduced to 20,000 following the removal of the modular upper tier, with the seats being re-purposed into sporting facilities across Qatar and overseas.
Six football training pitches, a cricket pitch, horse riding track, cycling track, gym equipment and an athletics track are the other sporting facilities at the new stadium.
Previously, on two occasions Qatar inaugurated the World Cup venues by hosting the Amir Cup final at Khalifa International in 2017 and Al Janoub in 2019.
The Amir Cup is one of the prestigious competition in Qatar, and is usually held in May but this year had to moved to a new date on account of the pandemic. The 2022 World Cup, will be held in eight stadiums and organisers have said they will be completed well in advance of the tournament, which will be staged in November- December period and will kick off on 21 November 2022.
