Arabi bounce back to beat Khor

Visitors Al Khor grabbed the lead yesterday but home side Al Arabi turned things around in admirable fashion, winning the Qatar Stars League (QSL) clash 2-1 at Grand Hamad Stadium.
Al Arabi’s captain Boualem Khoukhi and Wagner scored the goals in the first half to nullify Al Khor’s early lead in the round eleven clash.
Al Khor grabbed the lead through a field goal in the 7th minute through a well-co-ordinated move as defender Sultan al-Enazi deflected an easy ball into the net from close range. Al Khor defender Abdulrahman Ruban – on the right flank – chipped in a long ball towards teammate Abdulkarem Ali who failed to deflect the ball into the net as the running momentum forced him to lose his balance.
However, Al Khor’s man of the moment al-Enazi, who was unmarked inside the box, shot the ball into the net with consummate ease, easily beating the out-stretched hands of goalkeeper Rajab Kassim. It was al-Enazi’s second goal of the season for the Knights.
At the half-hour mark, Al Arabi’s Assie Koua Vivien, the tall defender from Ivory Coast, produced a snap-header inside the Al Khor box but his deflection was punched by goalkeeper Baba Djibril on his goal-line. Minutes later, Al Arabi’s Nigerian forward Ezekiel easily volleyed a close-range ball into the net but the goal was disallowed as off-side by the linesman.
In the 37th minute, Khoukhi opened the scoring from the penalty spot. Al Enazi brought down Al Arabi’s Paulinho inside his own box with a reckless tackle. Referee Abdulrahman al-Jassim quickly pointed to the spot kick and Khoukhi easily converted from the penalty spot for the equaliser.
With four minutes to go in the first half, Al Arabi grabbed the lead with a slick finish by Wagner, who smashed the ball in from close range hitting the top of the net with a fast-paced shot. It was the former El Jaish’s man first goal of the season.
Despite conceding the first goal, hosts Al Arabi rallied in fine style to register their second straight win in the QSL.