Four time QSL champions Lekhwiya put in a commanding performance against Al Gharafa yesterday evening registering a 3-0 win against the fourth placed side. Lekhwiya grabbed two goals in the first half, with Ismael Mohammed and Almoez Ali pouncing on errors from Gharafa keeper Yousef Hassan. Whilst substitute Mohammed Muntari headed in third mid-way through the second half.
It was the home side Lekhwiya who dominated the chances in the opening half.  Minutes into  the game a clipped cross from Almoez Ali fell to Ali Afif who pushed the ball across the area Ismael Mohammed who headed the ball towards the goal fortunately for Al Gharafa Fahid Al Shamari kicked the ball out for a corner.
Lekhwiya where upping the pressure and on the fourteenth minute Ali Afif found makeshift striker Almoez Ali with an accurate cross, however his shot was blocked well by Gharafa defender Rashid Sumaila. The four times QSL champions where in the ascendancy and missed another golden chance to take the lead. A flicked header from Chico fell to captain Mohammed Musa who spurned his chance for the opener skying the ball over from close range.
The game was opening up and Al Gharafa where getting plenty of joy in switching the ball to wing back Othman Al-Yahri on the right hand side, he was found again on the 22nd minute but his shot was easily saved by Lekhwiya keeper Claude Lacome.
After dominating play for large swathes of the first half, Lekhwiya had the ball in the net when defender Khalad Muftah slid in to score from close range, however it was adjudged to be off side by the referee.
However Djamel Belmadi’s side wasn’t to be denied and opened the scoring with five minutes left of the first half. A deep cross from Khalid Muftah was palmed away by Yousef Hassan and Ismael Mohammed was on hand to poke in from close range. The goal galvanised the Red Knights could could of doubled Lekhwiya’s lead moments after the opener a well weighted cross fell to the Qatar youth international  Almoez Ali who struck the cross bar on the volley.
Almoez Ali was amongst the chances again and made it count in first half stoppage scoring his sides second goal of the evening, profiting from another Yousef Hassan error. Ismael Mohammed  pounced on a misplaced pass and side footed the ball into the back of the net from the distance, much to the delight of his teammates.
Al Gharafa gambled in the second half brining on two attackers in Kendrick Johnson  and Mohammed Razak. It nearly paid off early in the second half, with two chances to cut down Lekhwiya’s lead. Razak was played through by Vladimir Weiss and his clipped shot went just over the bar. Whilst on the sixty third minute the play was switched to Fahid al-Shammari who produced a good shot that fizzed just wide of Claude Lacome’s goal.
Returning striker Mohammed Muntari put the game to rest on the 67th minute grabbing his sides third goal with a close range header in what proved to be an inspired substitute from Djamel Belmadi. Seconds after coming on the Qatar international striker nodded in from close range to from a Mohammed Ismael cross, finishing off a slick passing move.
The result means that Lekhwiya maintain their top of the table status with an impressive performance against one of the QSL form’s side in Al Gharafa.