Al Duhail overcame Al Ahli 2-1 in Week 13 of the 2022-2023 season QNB Stars League at the Al Duhail Stadium on Saturday.
Khaled Mohammed (21st minute) and Sultan Al Breik (44th minute) scored for Al Duhail.
Abubakar Mohammed (53rd minute) scored for Al Ahli.
Al Duhail moved on to 29 points with their ninth victory, while Al Ahli remained on 17 points.
Both teams started off with great enthusiasm, targeting full points.
Leaders Al Duhail, who beat Al Wakrah 1-0 in the last round, pushed hard with the aim of consolidating their top position, while Al Ahli, who registered a 3-1 win over Umm Salal in Week 13, matched them throughout the game.
Al Duhail were wary of their rivals knowing that The Brigadiers could be a tricky team, which has been having a good run of late.
Al Duhail had more of the ball possession and created more chances.
Nam Tae-Hee made Al Duhail’s first attempt with a shot from outside the penalty area in the 10th minute from a direct free-kick, which he hit with great skill, but it hit the defence and the crossbar.
Sofiane Hanni of Al Ahli responded with a powerful shot, but it went over the crossbar in the 15th minute.
The Red Knights, meanwhile, surged ahead through Khaled Mohammed and doubled their lead just before half-time through Sultan.
In the second half, Al Ahli went with full force with a desire to reduce the margin and Abubakr succeeded in getting it before long.
They intensified the pressure and Abdulrashid Ibrahim, who came off the bench in place of Hanni, almost scored the equalizer in the 59th minute after a mistake by Sultan to snatch the ball and hit a powerful shot, but it went wide of the target.
Al Duhail almost added a third goal in the last minute of regular time after an organized attack and a breakthrough from Abdulrahman Mustafa, but the attempt went in vain.