Al Kharaitiyat relied on two late goals to post an upset 2-1 win over El Jaish in round 21 of the Qatar Stars League yesterday.
El Jaish opened the scoring through striker Romarinho but Al Kharaitiyat hit back in the second half through Abdulaziz al-Ansari and  Rachid Tiberkanine to complete the win.
El Jaish made a dream start to proceedings in the 7th minute when quick-footed attacker  Romarinho opened the scoring for the visitors. After a neat dribble close to the Al Kharaitiyat box, veteran Malian midfielder Seydou Keita intelligently picked out Romarinho – who slipped past two defenders before slotting the ball past Al Kharaitiyat goalkeeper Ahmed Soufiane with low shot to the right of the goalmouth.
In the 15th minute, Al Kharaitiyat’s al-Ansari – lurking inside the El Jaish’s box – was denied by the woodwork. Al Ansari – after receiving a neat clip from the flank – produced a deft deflection from close range but his shot ricocheted off the crossbar, to register the Thunders’ first chance of the tie.
In the second half Ahmad al-Ajlani’s side rallied and found an equaliser on the 63rd minute, after 15 minutes of sustained attacks during the second half. Poor marking by El Jaish’s Yasir Abubakar allowed Al Kharaitiyat’s al-Ansari to deflect a corner kick easily into the net from close range in the 63rd minute.
A minute later, Al Kharaitiyat grabbed the lead when substitute Rachid – after getting a neat pass – flicked home with his first attempt with goalkeeper Mubarak al-Khater in no position stop the low ball crashing into the net. The victory will see the Thunders temporarily jump out of the relegation zone.  
Meanwhile, Al Rayyan hammered five goals past Muaither in a one-sided affair. Two goals each from Sergio Garcia and Rodrigo Tabata and one from Sebastian Soria helped the Lions cruise past the Falcons.
Sebastian Soria opened the scoring with an early goal in the second minute of the game. The Qatari international got on the end of a defence-splitting pass and sent the ball into the far side of the goal with a clinical strike.
Just two minutes later, Al Rayyan scored another one when Tabata spotted an unmarked Garcia in the box. The Spanish striker chested down his teammate’s cross and finished by scoring from a tight angle.
In the 21st minute, Garcia got his name on the score sheet once again. An Al Rayyan corner was deflected by Muaither keeper, Basel Zidane, into the path of Garcia, who smashed the ball into the goal from close range to end the first half at 3-0.
In the second half, Tabata scored a brace to continue his team’s onslaught. The two goals came in quick succession as the Qatari international raised his season tally to 13. In the 55th minute, Tabata found some space in the box and struck the ball straight into the far corner. Just three minutes later, the forward added another one as his free-kick sailed over the wall and into the bottom right corner to make it 5-0.
The win takes Michael Laudrup’s men to 44 points as they remain third on the table. Philip Birol’s side languish in the drop zone in 12th place with sixteen points.

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