Al Ahli beat Umm Salal 2-0 in a 2019-20 season Ooredoo Cup Round 1, Group A match at the Al Ahli Stadium on Friday.

Abel Mathias (52nd minute) and captain Nabil El Zhar (90+3 minutes) scored Al Ahli’s goals.

Both teams are strong contenders in Group A, which also includes Al Sadd, Al Wakrah, Al Shahania and Al Rayyan.

Al Ahli were without Abdullah Al Ahrak and Abdulrahman Mohammed who are doing duty for the Qatar national team. Some players on both sides are with the Qatar Olympic squad too.

And Umm Salal’s injured Ivorian striker Yannick Sagbo was watching the proceedings from the stands.

The teams put up a keen fight in the first half despite the absence of serious attempts at the goal. Not only were the honours even, but ball possession too read 50-50 at half-time.    

The second half saw more alacrity by both sides to make a breakthrough and it was Al Ahli who succeeded when Abel placed home a Barro Siddiqi pass from the right.

The following minutes saw Umm Salal make a string of concerted efforts to score. They almost equalised soon after the hour mark through substitute Abdulaziz Al Yahri who struck home a pass from the right by Nasser Al Nasr, but for a save right at the goalline by Jassem Mohammed.

The Orange Fortress pressed hard. Victor Vazquez struck his free-kick against the right upright before Rami Fayez sent his shot wide of the left post by inches.

Nabil doubled the lead in stoppage time with a brilliant angular shot from the right.