Al Duhail handed Al Markhiya a 8-3 defeat in Round 1, Group B of the 2022-2023 season Ooredoo Cup at the Al Gharafa Stadium on Tuesday.

The Red Knights rode on a hat-trick from their Kenyan striker Michael Olunga (22nd, 74th and 79th minutes).

Al Duhail’s other goals came from Ahmad Moein (eighth minute), Suhaib Gannan (15th minute), Lotfi Madjer (19th minute), Ahmed Ibrahim (82nd minute, own goal) and Rabeh Yahia Boussafi (88th minute).

For Al Markhiya, Yousef Ramadan (48th minute), Mohammed Al Hassan (81st minute) and Farid Ahmed (90th minute) found the target.

Al Arabi, Al Gharafa, Al Rayyan and Al Shamal are the other teams in Group B.

The rollicking action for Al Duhail began with Ahmad Moein making good of a Suhaib Gannan pass to break in and score.

Next up Gannan himself scored after being provided with a fine pass by Lotfi while running into the box.

The third goal was a super combine between Olunga and Lotfi and the latter found the mark.

Majder did more. He produced a fine kick from near the goalline for an onrushing Olunga to register the team’s fourth and his first goal.

Back after the break, Al Markhiya found some relief, with Ramadan making a good header to score off a high flying corner kick.

But soon, Olunga returned to latch on to a Nam Tae-Hee pass and his stretched left leg did enough for the ball to find the far right corner of the net.

Olunga’s hat-trick goal came following the good work of Rabeh Boussafi who grabbed an Al Markhiya mispass and fed a waiting Olunga with the ball which he lobbed into the goal.

Al Markhiya pulled a second one back with Mohamed Al Hassan battling for the ball with Yousef Farahat. While Farahat felt that the ball had fallen over the line, an alert Al Hassan snatched the chance to win the ball, move to his right and send it into the goal.

But Al Markhiya’s woes continued as Ahmed Ibrahim found his own net while trying to stave off an Al Duhail cross to the centre inside the box.

Rabeh Boussafi provided the icing on the cake for Al Duhail with a final strike from the top of the ‘D’.