Al Gharafa Beat Al Shorta Al Duhail Hold Champions Al Ahli SFC In Thriller

Doha, Qatar: Al Gharafa SC turned on the power in the second half to defeat Iraq's Al Shorta 2-0, while Al Duhail fought back to hold reigning champions Al Ahli Saudi FC in a 2-2 draw in the AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26 yesterday.

At Doha's Khalifa International Stadium, strikes from Joselu and Ferjani Sassi earned Pedro Martins' side the points as Al Gharafa got on the winning trail after having suffered a 4-3 defeat against UAE's Sharjah FC in their opener.

Al Shorta, meanwhile, are still seeking their first win after having played to a 1-1 draw with Al Sadd SC two weeks ago.

The home side were almost caught napping by a counter-attacking move in the fifth minute when Ahmed Yahia powered down the left and relayed the ball to Mahmoud Al Mawas, whose shot rattled the left post from inside the six-yard-box.

Al Gharafa came close to taking the lead in the 13th minute when Joselu pounced on a poor back pass from Mehdi Ashabi, only to see his effort from an acute angle strike the right post.

At the other end, Al Shorta wasted their best chance of the half from a fast break which saw Fabricio Díaz play the ball across to Ahmed Al Ganehi, who skied his effort.

The deadlock was broken three minutes into the second half when Al Gharafa's Ahmed Al Ganehi intercepted a poor pass, leaving Yacine Brahimi to tee up Joselu to slot home from close range.

Al Gharafa extended their lead in the 54th minute after Brahimi's precise cross into the box was headed by Sassi past outstretched ​​ keeper Ahmed Basil.

Al Gharafa next meet defending champions Al Ahli Saudi FC in an away game on October 20, with Al Shorta to host Al Ittihad Club on the same day.

Unlike their fellow Qatari team, Al Duhail shared the points.

Al Duhail SC and Al Ahli Saudi FC both had the lead but eventually had to settle for a stalemate at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium.

While the stalemate meant Al Ahli equalled the tournament's unbeaten run record of 20 matches, it ended their eight-game winning run as Al Duhail earned a well deserved point.

The reigning champions didn't have to wait long to register their first attempt on target, Matheus Goncalves with a delicate chip into the box in the eighth minute which Roger Ibanez got his head to, forcing Al Duhail goalkeeper Arthus Desmas to backtrack to tip the ball over.

Al Ahli, however, then found themselves trailing for the second game running as Matthias Jaissle's side switched off the 25th minute, allowing a goal kick to be flicked on by Krzysztof Piatek to Adil Boubina, who hit the post but Edmilson Junior was on hand to tap home the rebound.

Al Duhail suffered a blow seven minutes later when Desmas - who was making his debut for the Qatari side - suffered a head injury after a heavy collision with Feras Albrikan, with Bautista Burke replacing him.

Burke, however, didn't have time to settle in as Al Ahli drew level on 42 minutes when Goncalves cut inside Youssef Ayman before firing a low shot to the near post which the 22-year-old got a hand to but was not enough to keep the ball out. Things went from bad to worse for Burke four minutes later when his attempted pass out from the box went straight to Riyad Mahrez, who had the simple task of rolling the ball into an unguarded goalmouth. Djamel Belmadi took a gamble at the start of the second half, replacing midfielder Luis Alberto with forward Almoez Ali, who partnered Piatek and the Al Duhail head coach was rewarded just two minutes in.

Edmilson got away from Goncalves on the right flank before delivering a telling cross that was thumped into the top corner by Piatek.

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