Al Gharafa drubbed a challenging Muaither 5-2 in an exciting Week 6 clash of the 2023-2024 season Expo Stars League at the Thani Bin Jassim Stadium of Al Gharafa club on Friday.

The win saw The Cheetahs take their tally to 13 points. Muaither remained on four points.

The winners led 1-0 at half-time and six more goals came in the second session.

Yohan Boli (45+4 minute), Dame Traore (47th minute), Farid Boulaya (68th minute) and Yacine Brahimi (88th and 90+4 minute) got the goals for Al Gharafa.

For Muaither, Jamal Mohammed scored a brace in the 61st and 90+2 minutes of the match.

The opening half was fiercely contested and Muaither even produced some close chances, but could not find the breakthrough. In the 23rd minute, their Romanian professional Denis Alibec had a shot at the goal, but his kick was cut off in time by Al Gharafa’s Traore.

Later, Al Gharafa goalkeeper Khalifa Ababacar showed his skills by staving off some of Muaither’s threatening shots, including one from Guy Mbenza very close to the post.

Having held the rivals’ charge, Al Gharafa then gained ground and took the lead with a fine move made just before the half-time whistle as their captain Brahimi ran down the left and sent in a cross to Boli on the right,  and the Ivory Coast player gleefully scored with a kick on the volley.

On resumption of play, Al Gharafa soon doubled their lead, with Traore making a spectacular in-dipping header from the left after Brahimi produced a super corner kick.

Struggling to contain Al Gharafa’s repeated raids, Muaither got a good chance in the 53rd minute, but this time the kick from Mbenza went well over the crossbar.

Muaither then got their finishing act together making a fast move as Mbenza sent the ball to a breaking-through Andri Syahputra on the right and he immediately crossed it over to a rushing-in Jamal Mohammed, who struck with his left foot to score (1-2).

The racy goal livened up the game all the more and Muaither appeared more challenging. However, seven minutes later Al Gharafa struck again to dampen their hopes and the score read 3-1.

Brahimi was once again back in action and this time to score himself from the top of the box latching on to a cross from substitute Ahmed Alaaeldin (4-1).

Muaither fetched their second goal in the added time as their skipper Ramon Gines sent in a long aerial cross from the right for Jamal Mohammed to first take it on his chest and then to fire in a left-footer into the goal (4-2).

Al Gharafa had the last laugh as Brahimi, within minutes, scored his ninth goal of the season and his team’s fifth of the match. Assisted with a through ball by Ferjani Sassi, the Algerian attacking midfielder broke in from the left to beat three defenders and the goalkeeper at the post, leaving the opposition further dismayed.