Al Gharafa bounced back from being a goal down to upstage Al Ahli 4-1 in their Week 3 clash of the Expo Stars League season 2023-2024 at the Al Thumama Stadium on Friday.
Starring in the turnaround win for The Cheetahs was their attacking Algerian star Yacine Brahimi with two goals – coming in the 61st and 72nd minutes from him – from Qatari winger Ahmed al-Ganehi, who scored in the 27th minute of the match, and from Farid Boulaya in 90+10th minute (penalty).
Al Ahli’s French-born Tunisian Naim Sliti fetched the first and his team’s only goal of the match in the 15th minute.
The Brigadiers had made a forceful start but were later forced to bog down by the aggressive Al Gharafa, who combined well for their second win of the league.
Brahimi, who is now also the top-scorer with five goals, showed his good form leading the charge for his side.
He looked to breach the rival defence from the very start and in the very 5th minute of the match had a threatening shot miss the left post of the goal by inches.
It seemed a blazing start for Al Ahli, still in search of their first win in the league, when Naim Sliti picked on a superb long cross from Yazan al-Naimat to get the left corner of the net from top centre of the box.
That joy for Ahli, however, lasted for only a brief while before Al Gharafa’s Ahmed al-Ganehi, fed by the ball by Brahimi, moved in from the right to shake the same far left corner of the net again.
At 1-1 at half time, the game appeared to be fairly in the balance but Al Gharafa returned for Brahimi to steal the show.
He got the team into the lead by picking on a cross pass by Boulaya to beat the defenders and the goalkeeper from the right with ease (2-1).
The same combination was at work again as Brahimi struck a second time in the match, on this occasion from the right kicking the ball on a half volley to go over the goalkeeper and into the top net (3-1).
Mbenza hits four in Muaither’s 5-2 win over Al MarkhiyaMuaither made their presence felt in the Expo Stars League season 2023-24 with a thumping 5-2 win over Al Markhiya in their Week 3 match at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on Friday.
The hero of the game for the promoted-Second Division champions Muaither was their Congolese forward Guy Mbenza, who accounted for four goals while they gained an own goal from Al Markhiya as well.