A close encounter at Lekhwiya stadium saw Al Khor earn their first win of the season against fellow strugglers Qatar Sports Club tonight in Round 8 of the Qatar Stars League.

The first twenty minutes saw Al Khor slightly edging the game as they held a high defensive line. The only chance of note came on the 21^st minute  when Khor’s two Brazilians, Cesar and Madson combined with the later trying to curl an effort past Mohammed Dawood.

With Al Khor yet to win a game, the men from the north pressed more and more and Qatar were made to play on the counter but hadn’t managed to test the keeper at all.

On the half hour mark Al Khor’s pressure finally paid off as frontman Julio Cesar scored for the Knights. What should have been a routine catch for QSC keeper Dawood instead turned into a comedy of errors as he fluffed his clearance and the ball fell to Cesar who nodded it in.

Qatar didn’t take long to respond however, they won a corner on the far side of the box, wingback Ali Shaheen sent an in-swinger into the box and new signing Mohassine Iajour rose highest to head in the equaliser (39’).

The second half followed a similar pattern as Khor pushed forward and Qatar were slow out of the blocks.

For all of Khor’s early possession it was Qatar with the better chances as first Fadhil Omer sent a volley just wide of the post and then Iajour had a decent effort deflected around the post.

Madison then came close on the 66^th minute, a quick one-two with teammate Majid saw the Brazilian freed down the right. From a tight angle, he took a shot with his weaker right foot but the keeper saved well.

The two teams were evenly matches going into the last twenty minutes and the next goal would probably be the winner.

Al Khor’s Rezah Najafi took a hopeful shot at goal, and Qatar SC’s keeper should have done better but instead failed to catch it and Madson pounced from close range to once again put his side in the lead (73’).

In the 80^th minute Qatar’s frontman Iajour came agonisingly close as he received a cross from the left, the ball ricocheted of the defender and the Moroccan stretched to toe poke the effort in, but the ball went just wide of the far post.

Qatar brought on new signng Dagano and pressed late on but didn’t really manage to test the keeper as Khor saw out the last ten minutes of the Round 8 clash.

Goal keeping errors proved costly on the night for Qatar who otherwise matched Khor for quality and chances.