Al Ahli beat Al Gharafa 3-1 in Week 19 of the 2020-21 season QNB Stars League at the Qatar SC Stadium on Friday.

Captain Omid Ebrahimi (34th minute), Abdulrasheed Ibrahim (67th minute) and Hernan Perez (89th minute) scored the goals for Al Ahli, while Serge Kanon (83rd minute) was the scorer for Al Gharafa.

The match also witnessed the dismissal of Al Ahli’s Nasser Khalfan in the 82nd minute.

The Brigadiers moved on to 29 points following their ninth win, while Al Gharafa remained on 30 points. It was a great turnaround for Al Ahli, who suffered a 0-4 defeat to The Cheetahs in the first leg.     

Al Ahli got a golden chance early in the second minute when Hazem Shehata, taking advantage of a defensive error, got control of a long ball inside the box, but his hit went wide.

Al Gharafa responded with an attack soon, but Adlene Guedioura’s hit from outside the box missed the crossbar by a yard.

It was a balanced match with both teams having almost an equal share of ball possession and attacks on the half-hour mark.        

Al Ahli then went ahead with a spectacular header from near the penalty spot by Ebrahimi that bounced into the left corner of goalkeeper Yousef Hassan, following a corner kick.

The Brigadiers could have doubled the lead four minutes before the break but Perez – confused with a possible offside – took his try too early when he had only the goalkeeper to beat.

Just before the half-time whistle, Sofiane Hanni created an opportunity for a leveller with a beautiful chip, but Jonathan Kodjia, despite trying hard for a header, missed the ball.  

The second half got off to a fast start, with Al Ahli emerging as a better side, attacking the opposition in short intervals. Jasem Mohamed Omer missed an opportunity after receiving a cross in a good position, but his volley was off target.   

Al Gharafa goalkeeper Yousef made a good save from Ibrahim’s attempt after an attack from the right flank to keep the scoreline intact on the hour  mark.

Ibrahim, however, did not miss a chance seven minutes later, putting the ball in from near the penalty spot after receiving a clever through pass from Perez.

Al Gharafa fought back strongly by putting pressure on Al Ahli and pulled one back when Kanon found the target after a pass from Sofiane seven minutes before time.

But Perez ended Al Gharafa’s hopes of drawing the match by smashing a brilliant hit one minute before the time to seal victory for Al Ahli.