Gharafa edge Khor by a solitary goal, Sailiya beat Ahli

A first half Kristian Nemeth penalty was enough for Al Gharafa to edge out Al Khor 1-0. Al Gharafa certainly didn’t enjoy the majority of chances in the game, but none the less came away with all three points in a feisty encounter yesterday at the Al Gharafa stadium. Al Gharafa took an early lead from the penalty spot when Khor defender Majed Aman was adjudged to have handled the ball in the penalty area. The referee duly pointed to the penalty spot, and Hungarian striker Kriszti?n Németh stepped up and promptly rifled the ball into the back of the net from twelve yards out. Khor stepped up as the first half progressed and created three clear-cut chances to draw level. First up Moroccan attacker Mouhcine Iajour saw his point blank header saved by Yousef Hassan in the eighteenth minute. Whilst two minutes later, Khor’s diminutive midfielder Madson saw his curling shot skip just wide of the post. Jean Fernandez’s side ended the first half on the front foot, and could have headed into the break level had Babou Sidiki’s shot from a tight angle hit the target. The first half ended in favour of the hosts with Al Gharafa taking a 1-0 lead into the second half. The Knights picked up from where they left off in the first half and after the restart Al Khor could and perhaps should have found a leveller, however Moroccan striker Mouhcine Iajour mistimed his header from a flicked on corner. At the hour mark, Al Khor pushed ahead on the counter attack with Iajour setting up Madson with a well-placed through ball. Racing ahead of the defence, the Brazilian had plenty of time to compose himself, however his drilled shot was well-saved by Yousef Hassan in the Gharafa goal. Al Gharafa started to see more of the ball in the second half and in the 63rd minute Hungarian attacker Kristian Nemeth whipped in a perfect cross to Abdulghani Muneer but his headed effort was comfortably saved by Khor keeper Papa Djibril. Despite Al Khor’s efforts they were unable to find their way back into the tie, and dropped into eleventh place in the QSL standings. As for Al Gharafa they remain in fifth place in the QSL standings.10-man Sailiya defeat Ahli 2-1A first half goal by Sailiya, a missed penalty and a goal from each side in the last ten minutes of the game were some of the highlights of the game as Sami Trabelsi’s men registered the 2-1 victory.Al Sailiya’s Temurkhuja Abdukholikov scored the first goal of the game just before the halftime whistle in the 45th minute. The goal came after a Sailiya corner kick came off the head of Al Ahli’s Yassin Chikhaoui into the path of the Uzbek striker who hit it on the volley into the goal from a narrow angle.The second half was full of excitement and controversy as Al Ahli were pushing for the equaliser while Sailiya looked to maintain their lead and a second goal. Sailiya defender, Mohammad Jumaa got himself a red card in the seventy-ninth minute when he cleared the ball off the goal line with his hand.The resulting penalty was taken by Yassine Chikhaoui  whose effort was saved by Gregory Gomis in the Sailiya goal. The penalty saves proved fortunate for Mohammad Jumaa who’s dismissal meant that his team had to play the rest of the match with ten men.Just two minutes after the missed penalty Al Ahli equalised courtesy of a show stopping finish by Ali Ferydoon. The on-loan Al Shamal forward chested down a cross inside the box, dribbled his way to the edge of the box and then hit a powerful shot which pinged off the post and into the goal.Just when it looked like the game was going to end honours even, however Sailiya regained their lead in the dying moments of the game. January signing Valentin Lazar pounced on a botched clearance and curled the ball into the net past Al Ahli keeper Amer al-Dossari. The winning goal was the Romanian’s first goal for the Peregrines.The last gasp win takes Sami Trabelsi’s men up to ninth in the table with twenty-three points. While Yousef Adam’s men are in seventh place with twenty-four points from twenty-one games.Wakrah fight back to draw against ShahaniaBottom of the table Al Wakrah came from behind twice to register a 2-2 draw with fellow strugglers Al Shahania, yesterday. Shahania grabbed a first-half lead though the head of Rahim Zahivi, before drawing level from the penalty spot through captain Moucine Moutalli. Late in the second half, Zahivi scored again for Shahania, before being pegged back from Moutalli via another penalty.