Gulf Times
Al Ahli pulled off a sensational
last-gasp 2-1 win against
bottom-side Al Kharaitiyat in
the QNB Stars League at the
Al Khor Stadium yesterday. Goals for Al
Ahli came from Jhon Chancellor (29th
minute) and Ahmed Suhail (90+2). Al
Kharaitiyat’s goal was scored by Valentin Lazar in the the 68th minute.
With Kharaitiyat’s position in the
league looking more precarious, it was
down to Al Ahli to get the game up and
running with a confi dent burst from the
start. As early as the second minute,
Mohsine Moutaouali could have secured them the lead, but he was unable
to convert Ali al-Yazeedi’s cross.
Minutes later, it was Jonathan Porras
was the guilty party as his header from
close somehow missed the target. With
the pressure mounting on the home
side, Al Ahli took the lead when Chancellor rose highest to convert a header
beyond the reach of the opposition
goalkeeper.
Kharaitiyat grew into the game, but
Mohamed Raza was unfortunate with
two fantastic chances either side of the
break before Al Ahli’s Jonathan mistimed his shot from close range.
Midway through the second half
and Kharaitiyat got a much-deserved
equaliser as they countered Al Ahli.
Ahmad Khaleel had soldiered down the
right fl ank before whipping in a beautiful cross for Lazar to steer home with
his head. They then looked to have stolen the points when a fi rm header was
kept out by Ivanildo Rodrigues in the
89th minute. This save was to be crucial
as a stoppage-time corner was whipped
in from the left and Suhail outjumped
his marker to secure three vital points
for his side.
Earlier, hosts Qatar SC were held
to a goalless draw by Al Shahania.
There were very few clear-cut chances
throughout the match as both teams
kept it tight without giving too much
away. The best chances for either side
both came in the fi rst half, with Abdel
Mitwali seeing his scorching free-kick
being tipped over the bar by Amer alAmri. Claudio Vazquez went agonisingly close for Al Shahania not long
after when his back-post header from
close-range came off the inside of the
post and away for safety. All in all, it
was a fair result between the two sides
who are both looking to escape from the
bottom of the table.
Qatar SC’s Ali Awad, Fadl Omar and
Ibrahim Gamal wasted opportunities
towards the end. Both teams tried hard
to make a breakthrough as the match
entered the fi nal minutes, but a goal did
not come. Al Shahania, under Spaniard
Jose Murcia, moved to 17 points and
Qatar SC, coached by Argentinian Sergio Batista, have 16 points.