Al Khor registered a crucial 4-0 victory over Al Kharaitiyat in Week 20 of the QNB Stars League at the Al Khor Stadium on Sunday.

Brazilian striker Tiago Bezerra (58th, 70th and 82nd minutes) and Helal Mohammed (61st minute) were on target for Al Khor.

Al Khor moved to 18 points with their fourth victory, while Al Kharaitiyat stayed on 12, with two matches remaining and putting themselves very much in the fear of relegation.

It was Al Kharaitiyat’s 16th defeat in this season’s QNB Stars League. It also marked an end to their three-match winning run. 

It was a much-anticipated battle between two teams directly vying to avoid relegation. In the end, Al Khor had the last laugh.

The match really came to life in the second half following a barren first session, where Al Kharaitiyat played second fiddle to their rivals.

Tiago & Co tested the opposition defence time and again, but could not make a breakthrough.

At the other end, Al Kharaitiyat strikers Mohammed Razzak and Valentin Lazar struggled without being properly supplied with passes.

Al Khor took the field after the break as a transformed lot. The rout started with the red card to Al Kharaitiyat’s Ilyas Hassani in the 50th minute for fouling Wagner.

Al Khor took the lead eight minutes later through Tiago’s free-kick when Brazilian midfielder Wagner Ferreira was fouled just outside the penalty box.

Helal doubled it with a long-range shot that went in after hitting the right upright.

Tiago capped off his outstanding form with two more goals as Al Khor made a big leap in their bid to stay away from the danger zone.