Al Riyadi relieved as Wael Arakji avoids major injury

DOHA (Qatar) - Al Riyadi heaved a huge sigh of relief as Wael Arakji suffered nothing serious after going down with a left ankle injury in their eventual win over Manama in the FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) Final 8 2024 Group Phase closer, Wednesday night.

"Thank God it's only minor," exhaled head coach Ahmad Farran during the postgame press conference of their 77-68 conquest of the reigning champs at the Lusail Multipurpose Hall. "[He will be receiving] some treatment in the hotel, and he will be ready for Friday."

The star guard got hurt at the 3:32-mark of the first quarter after accidentally stepping on the foot of opposing big man Travin Thibodeaux upon driving to the lane.

He immediately went to the sidelines before going down in pain while clutching on his ankle. Play would be stopped at the 3:11-mark and was then subbed out, spoiling what could have been a solid night scoring-wise from him as he already had 8 points to his name.

Fortunately for the team, though, Arakji managed to come back in the second half, even contributing in the decisive 7-0 run to take control of the game for good, 73-63, with 2:47 left to play after the opposition rallied back from 19 down and got to within just three.

"He played in the second half. He played almost 12 or 13 minutes, and he didn't feel anything," said Farran of his prized playmaker, who went on to finish with 10 points.

It sure is good news for Al Riyadi, who are headed to the Semi-Finals to face Shahrdary Gorgan in yet another meeting between the two-time West Asia League Finals protagonists.

Farran, though, admitted that it's never easy to see his wards, let alone Arakji, get hurt after what happened in the Final 8 inaugurals last year in Dubai that doomed their chances.

"We have some phobia from the injuries," he said. "We have been praying for the whole season to reach this stage without injuries. Because if we lose any player, for sure it will affect us."

It could be recalled that the Yellow Guard lost key cogs one after the other, first Ali Mansour and then Arakji during the Group Phase. They did reach the Semis, but couldn't secure a podium finish as the absence of point guards proved to be a problem too tough to overcome.

They simply hope that there won't be any repeat of it whatsoever, especially now that they are just a few wins away from conquering the pan-regional competition.

"Wael is one the key players in our team. Last year we lost him in the first round. We also lost Ali Mansour and Miguel Martinez. We went to the Semi-Final without any point guard, so we suffered. I hope we won't lose any player," said Farran.

FIBA