Doha, 3 March 2023 - Al Duhail beat Al Arabi 3-1 in Week 16 of the 2022-2023 season QNB Stars League at the Al Duhail Stadium on Thursday.
It was a keen tussle between two strong teams one ensuring to stay at the top while the other trying to claim the numero uno spot.
Al Duhail however proved strong with Nam Tae-Hee (seventh minute), Almoez Ali (37th minute) and Michael Olunga (90+2 minute) scoring for them.
For Al Arabi, the sole successful strike came from Hamed Ismail in the 25th minute.
Al Arabi were also reduced to 10 men after Omar Al Somah received a red card for his tackle against Yousef Ayman of Al Duhail while going for a header in the 78th minute.
The valuable win saw Al Duhail widen their gap at the top of the rankings to four points, having a total of 35 points from 14 matches, while Al Arabi stayed second with 31 points from 15 games.
Al Duhail got into business straightaway at the start, with their South Korean midfielder Nam, who was left unmarked, making the most of a Ferjani Sassi assist to score from the left. The opening goal delighted several Al Duhail fans at the stadium.
Al Arabi replied with a fine goal from Ismail, who latched on to a fine high ball from Helal Mohammed before controlling it and moving past a defender to beat the rival goalkeeper. The equalizer brought the Al Arabi fans to their feet at the stadium.
The joy was, however, shortlived as 12 minutes later a defensive lapse saw the ball go towards a waiting Almoez, who gleefully shot from the right to give Al Duhail the lead.
The second half saw intense battle between the sides and a slew of yellow cards were flashed. Al Arabi tried hard, but could not break the rival defence.
In the 89th minute, Ismail Mohammed of Al Duhail had a shy at the goal, but his weak shot was cut off by a defender.
In the end, Almoez won the ball in a challenge to Marc Muniesa and ran down from near the centre line to beat the lone goalkeeper for more joy to Al Duhail fans.
