Al Duhail qualified for the quarterfinals of AFC Champions League 2022 by defeating Al Rayyan 7-6 on penalties after the teams were tied 0-0 at the end of regular time and 1-1 at the end of extra time at the Al Thumama Stadium on Sunday.

Thus, Al Rayyan’s first foray into the knockout stages ended in heartbreak, while Al Duhail returned to the quarterfinals for the fourth time in their history.

A minute’s silence was observed before kick-off to honour the victims of the devastating earthquakes that recently hit Turkey and Syria.

Al Duhail scored in the 107th minute through substitute Mohammed Muntari and Steven Nzonzi equalized for Al Rayyan in the third minute of stoppage time after the second half of extra time to force a penalty shoot-out.

Both teams presented a distinguished level from start to finish as they strove hard to qualify for the next round.

The start of the match was calm, with the teams adopting a cautious approach and play was mostly confined to the midfield. After several chances went abegging, the first half ended goalless.

At the beginning of second half, Al Rayyan had an opportunity through a direct free-kick, but Al Duhail goalkeeper Salah Zakaria thwarted Jason Vargas.

The stalemate continued even after the end of regular time.

Muntari, who scored Qatar’s only goal at the FIFA World Cup 2022, finally broke the deadlock by heading in an Edmilson Junior cross from the left in the 107th minute.

Al Rayyan refused to surrender and French midfielder Nzonzi found the mark with a thunderous half-volley in the third minute of stoppage time as the game went into tie-breaker.

Both teams matched each other stride for stride from the penalty spot, scoring all of their first five shots and extending the scoring run until Zakaria saved Al Rayyan’s seventh attempt to send his side through.

The Qatar Football Association is hosting the Round of 16, quarterfinal and semifinal matches of West Asia region. Round of 16 matches will be held on February 19 and 20, quarterfinals on February 23 and semifinals on February 26.