Al Gharafa's Ahmed Alaaeldin (front) vies for the ball possession with an Al Rayyan player.
Doha, Qatar: Ahmed Alaaeldin scored a brace as Al Gharafa regained second place at the Expo Stars League (ESL) with a 3-0 thumping of Al Rayyan in a crucial Expo Stars League (ESL) clash at Thani Bin Jassim Stadium.
A 10-man Qatar SC also scored an impressive victory last night as they rallied to edge bottom side Al Markhiya 2-1 to claim full points.
Yesterday’s marquee clash between Al Gharafa and Al Rayyan saw tense battle but the Cheetahs prevailed, thanks to goals from Qatar forward Alaaeldin in 11th and 60th minute, before his 79th-minute substitute Ahmed Al Ganehi rounded up the victory with a goal in second minute of stoppage time.
Al Gharafa moved to 37 points, three points behind leaders Al Sadd with Al Rayyan staying on fourth with 32 points, trailing third-placed Al Wakrah by two.
The match got off to a fast start as both the teams, having their sights on the second spot in the standings, exchanged early attacks.
The Cheetahs didn’t have to wait much for their opening goal as Qatar forward Alaaeldin was well placed to hit a rebound from a close range after Al Rayyan goalkeeper Fahad Younis Baker blocked Yacine Brahimi’s lofty attempt from inside the box.
The opening goal followed desperate attempts from Al Rayyan with Ahmed Al Rawi and Achraf Bencharki coming close to scoring.
Roger Guedes also gave Al Gharafa a scare with an ambitious hit from a distance, which was stopped by goalkeeper Khalifa Ababacar Ndiaye after the half-hour mark.
With Al Rayyan continuing their quest for an equaliser after the break, Brahimi set up Alaaeldin for his second goal in a counterattack.
The Algerian star evaded a couple of defenders to pick the forward, who made no mistake in slotting the ball from the centre of the box into the left corner.
Al Rayyan made several other attempts including a free kick from Bassam Al Rawi that sailed just over the bar and Gabriel Pereira’s low drive that went a little wide.
As goal eluded the Lions, Al Gharafa wrapped up victory with Al Ganehi – assisted by Homam Al Amin – scoring their third goal from outside the box.
At the Grand Hamad Stadium, Qatar SC despite a 21st-minute red card to Raoul Danzabe Sanda rallied from a goal down to earn their fourth win of the season.
Driss Fettouhi put Al Markhiya ahead converting a free kick from five yards outside the box in 22nd minute, with Javi Martinez heading the leveler off a corner kick in 48th minute. Abdullah Al Ahrak sealed victory in spectacular fashion, hitting the target with a lofty shot from outside the box in 58th minute.
Qatar SC moved to 16 points but stayed 10th in the standings as Al Markhiya stayed on eight points.
The next round of the ESL will be played from March 29 to 31 after Qatar’s back-to-back games against Kuwait on March 21 and March 26 at the Preliminary Joint Qualification - Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027.
