Al Ahli claim vital win over Al Wakrah

Qatar Stars League strugglers Al Ahli claimed a vital three points against relegation battlers Al Wakrah beating them 2-0 at Al Wakrah Stadium yesterday.
Both sides came into the game desperate for all three points, with Wakrah hoping a win would help them climb out of the relegation zone and Ahli aiming to move up the table and avoid dropping into it. After a cagey opening 20 minutes which saw very few clear cut chances on goal from either side, Al Ahli were gifted the lead when Wakrah’s Mohamed Arafa scored an own goal.
In the 23rd minute, Ahli’s Ali Ferydoon managed to beat the offside trap and latch onto a lovely through ball in the 18 yard box which split the defence and left him one on one with Wakrah’s goalkeeper.
Ferydoon’s shot beat the goalkeeper at his near post but smashed into the base of the post before bouncing back into the six yard box at pace.  
Luckily Ahli, the rebound hit Wakrah’s Arafa who was unable to move out of the way quickly enough and it ricocheted off his shin and rolled over the line to give Al Ahli a lucky 1-0 lead. Ahli doubled their lead just minutes later when Ferydoon struck again, picking up a loose ball in the 18 yard box after some sloppy defending from Wakrah.
Ferydoon dropped his shoulder and faked two defenders, leaving them diving for a non-existent shot, before he unleashed a fierce right footed drive into the bottom right hand corner of the goal to make it two to The Brigadiers with 27 minutes on the clock.
Wakrah came out looking like a different side after the halftime break,  and thought they made it 2-1 on the 75th minute when their Congolese forward, Prince Ibara managed to connect with a high looping cross that floated into the six yard box. Despite heading it into the back of the net, the referee deemed Ibara had fouled the goalkeeper and blew for a free kick, a decision which drew lengthy protests from Wakrah.
Al Wakrah found themselves camped in Al Ahli’s half for the remainder of the game, keeping possession well, but were unable to find the back of the net.
The loss deepens Al Wakrah’s relegation woes and they now find themselves on 11 points and joint bottom with Muaither SC, who bagged a point at Al Gharafa in 2-2 draw. Al Ahli edged towards safety thanks to the three points.

Shahania take a point after 1-1 draw against Umm Salal
Al Shahania and Umm Salal took a point each as the teams drew 1-1 at the Al Arabi stadium. Shahania carried the form into this game that saw them claim a draw against fellow relegation rivals Muaither last time out and The Oryxes likely left feeling they should have done so with the full three points after playing the better football over the 90 minutes.
Shahania took the lead on the 23rd minute thanks to a fine finish from Qatari international and on-loan Al Rayyan forward, Fahad Khalfan. Al Shahania were awarded a free kick on the halfway line which was taken quickly, catching Umm Salal sleeping. The quick free kick was played long and found Jean-Paul Mangoua on the edge of the box who controlled it well before laying a beautifully weighted ball into the path of a running Khalfan who hit the ball first time and sent it under Umm Salal’s goalkeeper to make it 1-0.
Al Shahania controlled the ball well for the remainder of the first half but couldn’t find a second and went into the tunnel 1-0 up. The first 15 minutes of the second half was a scrappy affair, with plenty of stoppages breaking up play as both teams went in hard and conceded free kicks all over the park. On
the 58th minute, Umm Salal were awarded a free kick 25 yards out which was beautifully converted to level the score at 1-1. Umm Salal’s Brazilian number 5, Anderson Martins, hit a stunning free kick to level the score and bag his first of the season and the club after his right footed free kick got up and over the five-man wall and curled into the top right hand corner of the goal, leaving Al Shahania’s goalkeeper with little chance.
There were celebrations and then confusion on the 68th minute when Al Shahania thought they had taken the lead after it looked as though a fierce shot from Abdulrahman Diri had hit the back of the net. Replays showed that the ball had in fact hit the side netting with such force that it broke the net and then subsequently hit the back of the net, much to the disappointment of Al Shahania.
Al Shahania, desperate for the three points to avoid the relegation battle, pressed right up until the final whistle but were unable to find the decisive winner and both teams left with a point. Umm Salal stay mid-table while Al Shahania stay in 12th place and make it eight draws so far this season.