Doha: Sekou Yansane scored the winner as Al Ahli edged Al Gharafa 1-0 while Al Khor and Al Shahania played out a goalless draw at the Ooredoo Stars League (OSL) yesterday. Yansane drilled the ball on top of the net from near the penalty spot after a brilliant through pass from Julian Draxler as Al Ahli claimed their first three points of the season at the Al Thumama Stadium. The 16th minute hit from the French forward proved decisive as Al Gharafa failed to find an equaliser, having their second-half goal disallowed by the referee.
The Brigadiers moved to second place with four points as Al Duhail took early lead on the points table with two straight wins. Al Gharafa found them slipping to 11th place just above Qatar SC after the defeat. The Pedro Martins side could have leveled the match just five minutes after conceding a goal but Al Ahli goalkeeper Marwan Sherif denied them, stopping a fiery Florinel Coman shot from a close range.
Luck eluded Al Gharafa last evening as they also had a Seydou Sano’s strike disallowed after a goalmouth melee following a free kick in 63rd minute. “It was a thrilling match from start to finish and we deserved the victory,” Al Ahli coach Igor Biscan said after the win. “We played very well in the first half and managed to score a goal.
Our performance in the defence was convincing in the second half as it was important not to concede a goal to earn three points. I am happy with the win and players deserve the credit for showing a lot of determination in the match,” he added. At the Al Bayt Stadium earlier, Al Shahania goalkeeper Bautista Burke denied Al Khor in 27th minute clearing Ruben Semedo’s touch following a free kick by Sofiane Hanni.
The second half saw both the teams creating chances for an opening, and Al Shahania had a penalty decision in their favour reversed after referee cleared Semedo of a tackle against Mohammed Ibrahim following a VAR check in the 51st minute. Set up by Ayman Hussein with a fine cross from the right, Yohan Boli could have opened the lead for Al Khor but his shot from just inside the box sailed over the bar in 73rd minute as both the teams settled for their second straight draw. Al Khor held ninth position on the table on superior goal difference as Al Shahania are placed 10th after the completion of second round.
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