Al Rayyan came from a goal down to defeat Al Ahli 4-1 in Week 21 of the 2023-2024 season Expo Stars League at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on Wednesday.

Shogo Taniguchi (24th minute), Roger Guedes (85th minute penalty), Rodrigo Moreno (88th minute) and Achraf Bencharki (90+11 minute) scored for Al Rayyan, while Al Ahli’s only goal came off the boot of Naim Sliti in the 12th minute.

With the result, Al Rayyan are second on 44 points, ahead of Al Gharafa on goal difference, while Al Ahli are in 10th position with 20 points.

The match started with Al Ahli pressing hard for an early goal, while Al Rayyan’s defence tried as much as possible to curtail the advances of The Brigadiers.

After several efforts, Sliti opened scoring for Al Ahli in the 12th minute of play after finishing off an excellent move by Yazan Al Naimat, who fended off three of Al Rayyan defenders before laying up an overhead pass to the Tunisian international, who slotted home with a cool right-footed shot.

Al Rayyan upped their game after being a goal down and they began to constantly knock on Al Ahli’s door with relentless efforts.

The pressure eventually paid off in the 24th minute when Taniguchi rose highest to connect to a corner kick from Gabriel Pereira, with his powerful header proving too much for goalkeeper Marwan Badreldin to handle as the ball effortlessly sailed into the net to make things even between the two sides.

The scoreline remained the same as the referee beckoned for the half-time break.

The second half was evenly balanced between the two sides until Roger Guedes gave Al Rayyan the lead from the spot in the 85th minute after a foul on substitute Hazem Shehata.

The resulting jubilation from the vociferous Al Rayyan fans had hardly died down before Spaniard Moreno added the third in the 88th minute to further increase the joy of Al Rayyan’s bench and stands, and the sadness on the other end.

Not done with the two-goal advantage, Al Rayyan continued to press hard, and Bencharki gave the final nail on Al Ahli's coffin in 11 minutes of added time after he fired home a rebound from substitute Hazem Ahmed Shehata's shot to ensure an unassailable 4-1 win for his team at the end of proceedings.