DOHA, Qatar (Interstat) — In a frenetic opening match of the Qatar Stars League season, Al Rayyan and Qatar SC played to a 3-3 draw on Friday afternoon at Suheim bin Hamad Stadium.

The match defied pregame projections, as Interstat’s game simulator had predicted a 2-1 victory for Al Rayyan, which entered with a 66.40 percent probability to win according to the same service’s ELO rating system. Instead, the teams traded dramatic goals in a contest that saw a red card and eight yellow cards issued.

Al Rayyan’s Roger Guedes opened the scoring in the 21st minute with a well-struck free kick, giving the visitors an early advantage. The lead was short-lived, as Qatar SC’s Ali Saoudi equalized just three minutes later, finishing a play from the left side in the 24th minute.

The match tilted back in Al Rayyan’s favor deep into first-half stoppage time. In the 45+3 minute, João Pedro scored to restore the visitor’s lead at 2-1. The goal was immediately preceded by a yellow card shown to Qatar SC’s Mohammed Saleh in the 45+2 minute, a foul that set the stage for the decisive sequence.

Discipline unraveled further in the second half. After a flurry of yellow cards to both sides, Al Rayyan was reduced to 10 men when Tintín Márquez received his second yellow card in the 63rd minute, resulting in a red card just moments after being booked in the 59th.

Playing with a man advantage, Qatar SC pressed for an equalizer but found itself stymied until the closing minutes. Veteran striker Sebastián Soria finally broke through for the hosts in the 88th minute, scoring from the right side to level the match at 2-2.

Just as the match seemed destined to end in a stalemate, Al Rayyan, despite being a man down, seized the lead again in the seventh minute of second-half stoppage time. A header from star forward Aleksandar Mitrović in the 90+7 minute appeared to deliver a stunning, against-the-odds victory for the visitors.

However, Qatar SC responded instantly from the ensuing kickoff. In a chaotic final sequence, Ali Saoudi found his second goal of the afternoon, securing a dramatic 3-3 draw at the death.

The physical contest featured eight yellow cards, with Qatar SC’s Abdullah Al Ahrak and Al Rayyan’s Presnel Kimpembe among the notable players booked. The sending-off of Márquez was the pivotal disciplinary moment of the match.

With the result, both teams begin their Stars League campaigns with identical records of 0 wins, 0 losses and 1 draw. Their overall records across all competitions this season also stand at 0-0-1.