Al Kharaitiyat made the short trip south to their neighbourhood rivals as they looked to keep up the hard to beat reputation against Gharafa in round 24 of the Qatar Stars League.

Before the clash Kharaitiyat were in 9^th and Gharafa were just outside the top four in 5^th spot.

With the top four positions in the league already decided this match was more about pride than anything else.

Yet it was the visitors who opened the scoring just two minutes in through Hasan Fatah, the striker gave his side the perfect springboard for the remainder of the game.

Hassan Fatah then turned provider when he cut down the right wing held up the ball and picked out a smart pass to the on-rushing Abdul Aziz Al Ansari who nonchalantly sided footed the ball without breaking his stride (24’). Kharaitiyat now had a two goal cushion and things were looking difficult for the home side.

Gharafa continued to throw men forward but this left them vulnerable to the counter attack.

It looked as though Gharafa would have to go into the break two goals down but Costa Rican international Bolanos restored some pride with his 40^th minute strike. The winger executed a sublime volley which could be a serious contender for goal of round 25.

After the restart Kharaitiyat were play some great stuff as they grew in confidence and came close on a number of occasions.

In the end a Yahia Kiepi’s goal settled matters from yet another devastating counter attack. Australian midfielder Mark Bresciano lost control of the ball in the middle of the park and Kharaitiyat took full advantage. The ball arrived at Kiepi’s feet and the big man bagged his third goal of the season.

The result moves the Thunders up and into 9^th in the table, many had them down as potential relegation fodder but Amir Osim’s presence has been obvious since joining mid-season.