Al Kharaitiyat defeated Al Ahli 2-0 in Round 2 (Group B) of the Ooredoo Cup at the Al Arabi Stadium yesterday.
 In other games yesterday, Al Gharafa defeated Al Rayyan 2-0, while Al Arabi beat Umm Salal 3-0.
Evans Mensah (59th minute) and Abdulhadi Amin (90+3) scored for Al Kharaitiyat, who raised their points tally to six, whereas Al Ahli have yet to open their account as they had lost 1-5 to Al Arabi in their opener.
In fact, Al Kharaitiyat, who were promoted to this season’s top flight by virtue of being the Second Division champions, continued from where they left off in the opening round, where they defeated Al Rayyan by a 4-1 margin.
Moroccan spearhead Tiberkanine, who had scored two goals in Al Kharaitiyat’s opening-round win over Al Rayyan, was the architect of their victory this time around as he gave assists for both goals.
Al Kharaitiyat, who are enjoying their return to the First Division this season, seemed a determined lot and dominated possession with 66 per cent.
They attacked from the beginning, with Tiberkanine, Mohammed Osman and Mensah leading the charge. Tiberkanine sent his shot wide of the target, Osman was thwarted by goalkeeper Yazan Naim and Mensah skied his free-kick in the first half.
It was Al Kharaitiyat more with the ball in the second session as well and they were rewarded with two goals, the first coming around the hour mark and the second deep into the game.Today, Al Sadd face Qatar SC in Round 2 (Group A) of the Ooredoo Cup at the Qatar SC Stadium.
Al Sadd are going into their first match in the tournament as their fixture against Al Duhail in Round 1 was postponed owing to both teams’ campaigns in the 2020 AFC Champions League.
Al Sadd had progressed from the group stage of the continent’s premier club tournament, but lost out to Iran’s Persepolis in the knockout Round of 16 by a late goal.
The Wolves, currently placed second in the 2020-21 QNB Stars League which has taken a break after three weeks’ action, will definitely prove a handful for Qatar SC who too have players of calibre to face up to the challenge.
Qatar SC, coached by ex-Qatar international midfielder Younis Ali, had played out a 1-1 draw with Al Wakrah in Round 1. The Kings are now in eighth position in the 2020-21 QNB Stars League table.
Meanwhile, Al Khor face Al Wakrah today at the Al Arabi Stadium.
Al Khor, who had to keep their place in the 2020-21 season QNB Stars League through play-off win over Second Division runners-up Al Markhiya, are in the process of a big transition in terms of technical staff and players.
Subsequently, Frenchman Hantz Frederic has taken charge of the side.
Al Khor had beaten Al Sailiya by a 5-1 margin in Round 2 of the 2020-21 Ooredoo Cup with goals from Khaled Radwan, Mohammed El Sayed, Helal Mohammed, Said Brahimi and Jassim Al Muraikhi.
The Knights will be eager to sustain the momentum when they meet Al Wakrah, who had played out a 1-1 draw with Qatar SC in the opening round.
The Blue Wave, placed third in the 2020-21 QNB Stars League after three weeks of action, are sure to put up a stiff fight and that will make the contest thrilling.