Al Gharafa beat Al Shorta; Al Duhail hold champions Al Ahli SFC in thriller

Doha, Qatar: Al Gharafa SC turned on the power in the second half to defeat Iraq s Al Shorta 2 0, while Al Duhail fought back to hold reigning champio...

Doha, Qatar: Al Gharafa SC turned on the power in the second half to defeat Iraq’s Al Shorta 2-0, while Al Duhail fought back to hold reigning champions Al Ahli Saudi FC in a 2-2 draw in the AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26 yesterday.

At Doha's Khalifa International Stadium, strikes from Joselu and Ferjani Sassi earned Pedro Martins’ side the points as Al Gharafa got on the winning trail after having suffered a 4-3 defeat against UAE’s Sharjah FC in their opener.

Al Shorta, meanwhile, are still seeking their first win after having played to a 1-1 draw with Al Sadd SC two weeks ago.

The home side were almost caught napping by a counter-attacking move in the fifth minute when Ahmed Yahia powered down the left and relayed the ball to Mahmoud Al Mawas, whose shot rattled the left post from inside the six-yard-box.

Al Gharafa came close to taking the lead in the 13th minute when Joselu pounced on a poor back pass from Mehdi Ashabi, only to see his effort from an acute angle strike the right post.