Al Gharafa defeated Al Duhail 4-1 in Week 15 of the 2023-2024 season Expo Stars League at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium of Al Duhail Club on Friday.

Yacine Brahimi netted a hat-trick (14th minute penalty, 55th minute and 82nd minute), while Ferjani Sassi also got on the scoresheet in the 64th minute for Al Gharafa. Al Duhail’s lone goal came off the boot of Michael Olunga in the 20th minute.

The result moved Al Gharafa to 30 points, while Al Duhail remained on 18.

Brahimi gave Al Gharafa the lead from the spot in the 13th minute after Al Duhail's Karim Boudiaf was adjudged to have fouled Saifeldeen Fadlalla while attempting to clear the ball from inside his box.

Al Duhail went on the offensive right after that and they kept knocking on Al Gharafa’s door with a precise attack.

They did not have to wait for too long, as Olunga got them the desperate equaliser in the 20th minute from a counterattack that got him located with a long ball from the centerline. The Kenyan international coolly controlled the pass from Kim Moon-Hwan and then dropped off Al Gharafa’s Dame Traori before unleashing a powerful left-footed shot that sailed straight into the top right-hand corner of goalkeeper Khalifa Ababacar’s net to the delight of the vociferous Red Knights fans. The goal was the eighth for Olunga, last year’s league top scorer.

The match took on a different tone from there on, with a more confident Al Duhail providing more of the attack while Al Gharafa were forced to play defensive for most of the half.

Philippe Coutinho missed a golden opportunity to put Al Duhail in the lead in the 42nd minute after the Brazilian wasted a sitter that was perfectly laid on a platter for him by Almoez Ali.

Despite all attempts, the match remained stalemated as both teams headed for the dugout.

Al Gharafa "came out smoking" in the second half, and they had an opportunity to take the lead again in the 46th minute, but Brahimi shot directly at the keeper in a one-on-one situation.

Two minutes later, it was the turn of Al Duhail to change the scoreline, but Coutinho, once again, shot wide when left with goalkeeper Ababacar to beat after Olunga had supplied an inch-perfect pass to the former Barcelona player.

The Cheetahs’ wait for another goal was over in the 55th minute, with Brahimi making the difference again. The Algerian international was brought down just at the edge of the box from a goal-bound situation, and he stood up calmly to convert the resulting set piece, which bounced off the upright into the net after a failed attempt by goalkeeper Salah Zakaria to parry it off.

Sassi extended his side's lead in the 65th minute with a well-placed header from Brahimi's free kick to further compound the woes of Al Duhail on the night.

Olunga seemed to have pulled one back for Al Duhail in the 72nd minute after sliding the ball into the net from an assist by Almoez Ali, but the goal was overturned after a VAR review as Olunga was adjudged to have been slightly in an offside position ahead of the goal.

When it rains, it definitely pours. That was the situation for Al Duhail in the 82nd minute, with Brahimi hitting his hat-trick and Al Gharafa's fourth goal of the night. The Al Gharafa forward had collected a pass from Ahmed Alaaeldin. He then dazzled his way past Al Duhail's defenders before unleashing a shot that located the lower right-hand corner of the Red Knights goal.

The fourth goal seemed to take the wind out of Al Duhail's sail as their attack appeared to have lost a bite from thereon while Al Gharafa continued to wax stronger, and they could have added to their goal in four minutes of added time had Alaaeldin not shot wide.