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Red Knights get the better of Al Ahli 2-1
Tribune News Network
Doha
Lekhwiya beat Al Ahli 2-1 at Qatar SC Stadium in Friday's only late Qatar Stars League match, thanks to a 'controversial' last-minute winner from substitute Almoez Ali.
The win saw Lekhwiya move up as joint points table leaders with Al Sadd, who beat Al Sailiya 3-1 earlier in the day. Both teams have 30 points from 12 games and are followed by El Jaish with 28 points.
The first half was an uneventful affair with only one shot on target and both teams really only having one clear chance each.
Al Ahli should have been one up after just four minutes when Congolese international, Ndombe Mubele, made a darting run and took on three Lekhwiya defenders only to drag his shot wide once he found himself one-on-one with Lekhwiya's goalkeeper, Qasem Burhan.
In the 26th minute, Youssef El Arabi missed what many may call 'the miss of the season' after the Lekhwiya No.9 failed to keep a header down from a bouncing cross from just three yards away and saw it sail high over the crossbar.
The second half was much like the first and neither team was able to carve out any clear cut chances on goal. That was until the 70th minute when Al Ahli's No. 27, Mohsen Al Yazeedi, claimed a free kick from 20 yards away.
Sayed Mohamed stepped up and slammed it onto the wall, hitting the outstretched arm of Lekhwiya's Mohammed Abdullah Terazor, who made up the wall in the 18-ard box. To the surprise of the entire Lekhwiya squad, and the delight of Al Ahli, the referee blew for a penalty which was soon coolly converted by Mubele who gave Al Ahli the lead and took his season tally to seven goals.
The final 15 minutes of the game were full of drama. In the 83rd minute, Al Ahli's goalkeeper Amer Al Dosari made a fine fingertip save after Ali Afif connected to a beautifully weighted through ball from South Korean international Nam Tae Hee. Afif struck a shot from six yards out but Al Dosari somehow managed to get down to his left and steer it wide of the post.
The save looked set to secure all three points for Al Ahli until Al Ahli's Abdul Hussain fell on the ball in his own box while trying to stop Almoez Ali from getting a shot away. The referee thought he had handled the ball and blew for a Lekhwiya penalty which Youssef El Arabi converted to equalise.
The game looked set for a draw until Nam Tae Hee produced some lovely footwork in the box to evade two defenders and get a shot away which the keeper couldn't hold onto.
Almoez Ali swooped in to stab it into the back of the net with the last kick of the game from six yards out to take all three points.
Despite protests from Al Ahli's manager and entire squad that the game had already gone beyond the four minutes of added time, the 96th minute last-kick winner meant the Red Knights walked away with all three points to keep the pressure on the top two.
Al Shahania and Al Khor play 2-2 draw
League strugglers Al Shahania and Al Khor took a point each after drawing 2-2 at the Al Arabi Stadium in one of Friday's two early QSL kick -offs.
Al Khor took the lead after they were gifted a penalty following some poor defending from The Oryxes. Al Khor's Brazilian defender Welinton Souza, stepped up and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to give The Knights a one goal lead.
They made it two just before the break when Reza Shanbeh Najafi struck from a yard out to bag his first goal of the season.
Al Shahania scored in the 61st minute when on loan Qatari striker, Fahad Khalfan, hit a lightening free kick from 22 yards that smashed into the top right hand corner of the goal.
Nine minutes later Al Shahania grabbed a well-deserved equaliser after Al Khor captain, Mostafa Jafri, failed to deal with a long goal kick from Al Shahania's Al-Dosari.
Kaled Gourmi managed to poke the ball from between Jafri's legs before his keeper could reach it and it trickled into the back of the net to make it 2-2.
