Al Gharafa defeated Al Arabi 2-1 in the match that brought the two teams together at Al Thumama Stadium as part of the thirteenth round of the Doha Bank Stars League.
Al Gharafa’s goals were scored by Spaniard Joselu in the second minute and Jamal Hamad in the 79th minute, while Al Arabi’s goal was scored by Pablo Sarabia in the 67th minute.
With this result, Al Gharafa moved further ahead in the standings, raising their points tally to 31, while Al Arabi’s tally remained at 20 points.
Al Gharafa struck hard at the start of the match after they succeeded in taking an early lead when Algerian Yacine Brahimi sent a perfect cross that Joselu met with a header that nestled into the right side of Al Arabi’s goalkeeper in the second minute.
Al Arabi tried to react to the deficit and came close to equalizing after a powerful shot from Colombian Alexis Sanchez went just wide of the post in the 34th minute.
Al Gharafa responded by trying to score a second goal and strengthen their lead with a powerful shot from Fabricio Diaz that went just wide of the post in the 49th minute.
Al Arabi equalized after a quick attack and a cross from Frenchman Jordan Veretout, which Pablo Sarabia converted into the net in the 67th minute.
Al Gharafa managed to regain the lead by scoring their second goal after a coordinated attack in which Joselu delivered a cross that Jamal Hamad converted into the net in the 79th minute.
Al Gharafa finished the match with ten players after Joselu received a red card following his tackle on Rodrigo Sanchez in the 84th minute.
