Al Duhail defeated Al Markhiya 1-0 in Round 4 (Group B) of the 2023-2024 season Ooredoo Cup at the Saoud bin Abdulrahman Stadium of Al Wakrah club on Monday.

Isaac Lihadji’s deflected goal in the 47th minute separated the two sides in the highly-entertaining encounter.

With the result, Al Duhail now lead the table with nine points, while Al Markhiya remained on seven points.

The match was unexpectedly evenly balanced in the first half, with Al Markhiya’s defence curtailing the rampaging advances of The Red Knights attack while launching their own attacks, with Joao Teixeira being their arrowhead upfront.

Both sides had several opportunities to hit the target, but none of them converted, with poor finishing in front of goals being their bane as the first half ended goalless.

Al Duhail got the only goal of the match two minutes after the resumption of second half after Lihadji’s seemingly harmless cross from the right slightly touched Naby Sarr as it found its way into the net.

Al Duhail captain Mohammed Musa had an opportunity to increase his team’s lead from a set piece, just outside Al Markhiya’s 18-yard box, in the 67th minute after they were awarded a free-kick following a pull on Ibrahim Kader, but his shot went high and wide.

Al Markhiya had a call for a penalty overruled in the 75th minute after Al Duhail’s Jassim Al Mehairi seemed to have handled the ball in the penalty area.

With the match entering the dying minutes, Al Duhail goalkeeper Shehab Ellethy was kept busy by Al Markhiya forwards with waves of relentless attacks, but the shotstopper was in excellent form to stave off any chance of an equaliser.