Al Ahli were held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Qatar SC in Week 21 of the 2020-21 season QNB Stars League at the Al Sadd Stadium on Tuesday.

Bashar Resan (74th minute) levelled the score for Qatar SC after Abdulrasheed Ibrahim (40th minute) had put Al Ahli ahead.

Qatar SC were reduced to 10 men on the hour mark after Cristian Ceballos was sent off for kicking Hernan Perez on his chest while vying for ball possession during the hotly-contested match.

Following the draw, Al Ahli have 33 points and Qatar SC 32.

Qatar SC’s Nasir Peer did well to enter the box soon after the kick-off, but he got little support from team-mates as Al Ahli defenders were in place to fend off the attack. Nabil El Zhar responded for Al Ahli by racing into opposition’s area before being trapped by Nasir and Bashar.

Qatar SC’s Elmehdi Barrahma received the first yellow card of the match for a dangerous tackle against Nasser Saleh Al Khalfan in the 15th minute.

Al Ahli took charge from then on and made attempts through Abdulrasheed and Nasser Saleh, whose shot was superbly saved by Qatar SC goalkeeper Jassim Al Hail with a dive on his right. A long-range shot from captain Omid Ebrahimi hit the upright.

Al Ahli were finally rewarded for their efforts five minutes before half-time, with Abdulrasheed's angular shot from the right finding the target, leaving no chance for Al Hail. Nasser Khalfan assisted in the goal with a superbly-placed pass in the presence of many defenders.

In stoppage time of the first half, referee Saoud Ali Al Athba overturned his decision of a red card to Qatar SC’s Youcef Belaili for hitting Ali Ghaderi, following consultation with VAR. Both were cautioned after Ghaderi was found guilty of pulling Belaili first.

Belaili’s shot on target was picked comfortably by Al Ahli keeper Yazan Naim as Qatar SC pushed for an equaliser after the match was resumed.

Following the red card to Ceballos, Al Ahli looked to double their lead and a brilliant effort by Nasser Saleh was well-blocked by the goalkeeper.

The depleted Qatar SC were also racing well in Al Ahli’s box, but they were missing execution until Bashar levelled the score for them. In a move from the right flank initiated by Belaili, Hamed Ismail, with a back pass, set up Beshar, who made no mistake with a hit from just inside the box.

There were more exchanges late into the match and substitute Hazem Ahmed missed a golden chance to score the winner for Al Ahli in the last minute as both sides split points.