Al Ahli beat Al Kharaitiyat 2-0 in Week 9 of the 2020-21 season QNB Stars League at the Al Ahli Stadium on Monday.

Playing on home soil, Al Ahli were powered by a double from Hernan Perez (34th and 38th minutes) as they scripted their sixth win of the season to be on 19 points.

Al Kharaitiyat stood on six points.

The match got off to a slow start, but soon picked up pace.

Al Kharaitiyat’s Mohammed Osman fired two long-range shots from outside the box and on both occasions Al Ahli goalkeeper Ivanildo Rodrigues dived – first to his left and then to his right – to kill the dangerous moves from the visitors in the fifth minute.

In the 15th minute, Perez, with a defender in tow, took aim with a long-range shot that went narrowly over the crossbar.

Eleven minutes later, Hazem Shehata of Al Ahli fired a bullet, but his pacy shot was blocked by keeper Shehab Mamdouh. Perez then produced a left-footed drive from inside the box, but the ball missed the far goalpost to the right of keeper Mamdouh.

Al Ahli scored their first goal. After receiving a cross from Shane Lowry, Abdulrasheed Ibrahim, under pressure from Oumar Sako, back-heeled the ball towards Perez. The 31-year-old Peruvian winger, stationed unguarded near a goalpost, produced a sliding flick to send the ball into the net. The referee sought the assistance of VAR before deciding to retain the goal.

Four minutes later, a lapse on the part of two defenders near the halfline saw Perez latch on to a long cross and charge solo towards the Al Kharaitiyat box. Keeper Mamdouh stepped out of the box to kill the move, but got beaten by an awkward bounce as Perez, with ample space to move freely, calmly ran towards the goalline before slotting the ball into an empty net.

In injury time, Al Kharaitiyat striker Osman fired a bullet from the edge of the box that was palmed away Al Ahli keeper Rodrigues. The ball hit Rodrigues’ right hand and bounced off the right goalpost, much to the dismay of tireless Osman.

A minute before the hour-mark, Sako produced a header from close range off a corner kick, but the deflection was picked up by Al Ahli’s tall keeper.

In the 90th minute, Osman fired a spectacular free-kick, but the Al Ahli keeper dived full length to his right to parry the ball away. Rachid Tiberkanine picked up the lose ball, but his shot from close range was once again blocked by Rodrigues.