By Sports Reporter/Doha
Al Gharafa struck with virtually the last shot of the match to shock El Jaish 2-1 in the Qatar Stars League yesterday, a result that put them in the top four for the first time in the tournament.
The match headed destined for a 1-1 draw, but with the fourth and final minute of added time ticking away, Moayad Hassan was left unchecked inside the box and the forward found himself well-placed to volley a brilliant pass from Lisandro Lopez past the hapless El Jiash goalkeeper Ahmed Abunora.
Hassan, who had also scored his team’s first goal yesterday, knew the match was well over with his shot and celebrated by taking his shirt off and running to the delighted Al Gharafa bench where he was warmly congratulated by coach Marcus Cesar Castro.
With yesterday’s win, which was Al Gharafa’s fifth in eight matches, the former champions now occupy the fourth spot in the standings, below Al Ahli on goal difference.
El Jaish paid a heavy price for a combination of bad defending and lacklustre forward play although they enjoyed close to 60 per cent of possession.
After suffering a few scares, El Jaish’s defence caved in in the 37th minute when Hassan leapt high to finish off an Anderson Carvalho pass from the right, his header bouncing in front of goalkeeper Abunora and going into the net.
El Jaish appeared desperate to find the equaliser but had to wait until the 68th minute to register themselves on the score sheet, with Mohamed Methnani stunning the Al Gharafa defence with a powerful 35 yarder.
The ball appeared headed straight into the arms of Al Gharafa goalkeeper Qassim Burhan, but he made a hash of it by misjudging its pace as it crashed into the net.
It was El Jaish’s fourth loss in nine matches yesterday, a statistic they would aim to set aright as the tournament progresses.
Meanwhile, Al Ahli jumped to third spot with a 3-1 win over Al Wakrah and Al Arabi and Al Shahaniya played out a goalless draw.