Umm Salal scored their first win of 2024-2025 season QSL Cup as they beat Al Khor 2-1 in Group B Round 2 opener at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium of Al Duhail club on Friday.

While Abdulrahman Al Rashidi (34th minute) and substitute Kenji Gorre (66th minute) scored for the winners, Al Khor’s only goal of the match came through a penalty scored by Ahmed Al Mohannadi (38th minute).

In what was a lively contest, both sides began sprightly and Umm Salal came close to scoring as early as sixth minute of play when a header hit the left post. The effort came off a free-kick and the ball was first headed by Edidiong Essien and went to Naim Abdulrazaq who dipped in to connect again, but the ball found the left pole.

Al Khor too challenged the rival defence and, in the 26th minute, their striker Yohan Boli made a header right into top centre of the target, but the ball was blocked by a rising Umm Salal goalkeeper Landing Badji.

The deadlock was broken soon, with Umm Salal’s Fayez scoring off a counter and after picking a long Badji goal-kick just inside the box. The player missed connecting the first time and the ball ricocheted off defender Atef Mohamed’s chest and Fayez this time fired in past a hapless Al Khor goalkeeper Ali Nader Mahmoud.

Al Khor immediately brought in their captain Sofiane Hanni. Minutes later, Al Khor won a spot kick as their player Ahmed Al Mohannadi was brought down by Umm Salal’s Essien inside the danger area.

Al Mohannadi scored the penalty coolly to equalize for his side.

The Orange Fortress’ efforts paid dividends midway through the second half as Mance made up for his error, this time providing a superb pass, with the ball breaking past a parallel defensive line for Gorre to go on and beat Al Khor’s custodian (2-1).

Al Khor pressed harder to make a comeback, but could not succeed. A 79th-minute strike by Boli, after he found his way past defenders, went wide.