Al Ahli scored a vital 2-1 win over Al Khor in Week 3 of the 2024-2025 season Ooredoo Stars League at the Al Thumama Stadium on Friday.

German star Julian Draxler (68th minute) and substitute Abdulrahman Mohammed (90th minute) scored for Al Ahli, while Al Khor’s goal came through their captain Sofiane Hanni in the 85th minute.

With the result, Al Ahli now have seven points, while Al Khor, who are yet to register a win in the new season, remained on two points from the draws played in their previous two matches.

The match began on a cautious note, with both sides playing it safe for most of the first half.

Al Ahli’s Spanish forward Erik Exposito almost got his 25-yard shot deflected into goal by Al Khor’s Ruben Semedo in the 26th minute, but by a stroke of sheer luck, the ball went just a few inches wide for a corner kick, which eventually did not produce the desired result.

After a goalless first half, Al Ahli continued from where they stopped, maintaining their dominance, at least possession-wise.

Al Khor also had some chances of their own, prominent among them being Adil Rhaili’s glancing header off a corner kick in the 61st minute, but none of them was able to hit the right target.

Al Ahli kept their pressure on against their opponents and Driss Fettouhi had his low-driven shot from a set piece in the 66th minute parried into a corner kick by goalkeeper Ahmed Basher Ali.

Two minutes later, Al Ahli finally got their desire, with Draxler finding the back of the net with a powerful strike that located the bottom left-hand corner of Al Khor’s goal from a brilliant pass by Abdulrahman Mohammed, who came in to replace Exposito just a few seconds before the brilliant assist.

Al Ahli got their equaliser in the 85th minute, courtesy of Hanni, with an assist from Ahmed Hassan Al Mohannadi.

Stunned by the equalizer, Al Ahli did not take too long to respond to restore their lead with a brilliant effort from Abdulrahman Mohammed, who received the ball from Draxler just at the edge of the box and cut it with his right foot before unleashing a curling shot with the left that sailed effortlessly into the bottom right angle of Al Khor’s goal in the 90th minute.

A late drama ensued in five minutes of added time, with Al Khor initially awarded a penalty for a foul by Al Ahli defender Bahaa Ellethy inside the 18-yard box, but the decision was eventually rescinded after a lengthy VAR check, ensuring that Al Ahli went home with a win and the maximum points in their kitty.