Doha: Erik Expósito scored the lone goal as Al Ahli defeated Al Rayyan 1-0 in Week 19 of the 2024-2025 season Ooredoo Stars League at the Al Thumama Stadium on Saturday.
Expósito’s goal came in the 53rd minute as the Brigadiers moved to 32 points in the tally while Al Rayyan remained on 27 points.
The match was evenly balanced, with both sides not willing to concede any ground to the opponents from the get-go.
Al Rayyan had the first major opportunity of the night in the ninth minute, but Róger Guedes’ right-footed shot from outside the box from a direct free kick went just inches off the mark.
Guedes almost registered a goal in the 13th minute only to be denied by the offside flag, while Driss Fettouhi’s left-footed attempt for Al Ahli in the 17th minute posed no major problem for goalkeeper Samy Beldi to save.
With the match heading to a seeming goalless first half, Al Rayyan’s David García had the best of chances to change the narrative in the 43rd minute, but his header from the centre of the box following a set-piece situation went disappointingly higher than expected, ensuring the half ended without any changes in the scoreline.
The Lions started the second half on the ascendency with Mahmoud Trézéguet very close to getting the opener with a fantastic right-footer two minutes into the half.
Expósito eventually belled the cat for Al Ahli in the 53rd minute after a fine run, following a pass from Driss Fettouhi near the centerfield, saw him firing from the left side of the box into the gaping net of Al Rayyan.
The goal gingered Al Ahli more into action, and they continued to press hard against their opponents as they searched for more goals. Their pressure inadvertently led to Al Rayyan’s being reduced to ten men in the 72nd minute when Julien De Sart got his second yellow of the night and the resulting marching orders for a bad foul on Expósito.
Despite their one-man advantage, Al Ahli could not add to their goal tally, trying as much as they did with Al Rayyan tightly closing up their defence ensuring the match ended with the lone goal difference.
