Doha: Al Gharafa came from a goal down to defeat Umm Salal 3-1 in the Week 7 match of the 2024-2025 season Ooredoo Stars League at theThani Bin Jassim Stadium of Al Gharafa Club on Friday.
The Cheetah’s goals came through Joselu (62nd minute, penalty), Ferjani Sassi (88th minute), and Jamal Hamed (90th + 8 minute) after Umm Salal’s Antonio Mance had opened scoring in the 49th minute.
With the victory, Al Gharafa now have 11 points, while Umm Salal remained at 10 points.
The intriguing match began at a slow pace for both sides, but it livened up as the clock ticked on.
Umm Salal’s goalkeeper Landing Badji was called into action by Al Gharafa’s Spanish import Joselu in the 10th minute as he tested the shot stopper with a stunning low-driven shot, which the former responded to with a quick diving save.
Al Gharafa’s Florinel Coman saw his 25-yard shot hit the side net in the 17th minute with an outstretched Badji covering the angle quite well to prevent any untoward outcome.
The Orange Fortress had a couple of chances of their own, but lack of creativity in the final third was their bane.
Joselu missed arguably the best chance of the half in the 38th minute when his left-footed rebound shot from the centre of the box following a Coman’s free kick that hit the upright went disappointingly wide.
The miss happened to be the last major highlight of the match, as the half ended with no clear difference between the two sides.
Umm Salal eventually broke the deadlock four minutes into the second half with an unmarked Mance, who had his attempt saved two minutes earlier, hitting the bull’s eye with a right-footed shot from the centre of the box following a sublime pass by Oussama Tannane.
The Cheetahs went to work immediately after the deficit, but for all their efforts, Umm Salal’s resistance seemed formidable, and the men in yellow jersey could not penetrate the wall of defence mounted by their opponents until Joselu restored parity from the spot in the 62nd minute after Umm Salal Naïm Laidouni conceded a foul in the penalty area.
Al Gharafa’s Sassi missed a chance to put his side ahead in the 78th minute with his header from the centre of the box narrowly going wide.
Just when it seemed the match was heading towards a stalemate, captain Sassi turned up for his team, scoring a fantastic header in the 88th minute from a Rabh Boussafi’s cross to put Al Gharafa ahead.
Hamed ensured the win was emphatic with his goal in eight minutes of added time as Al Gharafa secured the maximum points on their home turf after coming from a goal behind.
