Match Report
4 points and 3 places separated them: Al-Arabi SC 7th with 32, Al Gharafa 4th with 36. The last five rounds placed Al Gharafa no better than 12th for form, against 4th in the standings. Against a league average of 1.66 goals per team per game, Al-Arabi SC ran at 1.68 scored and 1.86 conceded, Al Gharafa at 1.64 and 1.64.
The head-to-head ledger counts 12 games: 2 Al-Arabi SC wins, 7 for Al Gharafa, 3 draws, at 3.08 goals per meeting. Shutting the other side out is rare here — both scored in 67% of the meetings. Recent editions have opened up: 4.2 goals per game across the last five meetings against 3.08 historically.
The venue was Grand Hamad Stadium, with room for 44,400 spectators. Al Gharafa led 1-0 at the break, and the second half added 2 goals for the 1-2 full-time score.
Goal scorers
Al-Arabi SC: Pablo Sarabia (67') · Al Gharafa: Joselu (2'), Jamal Hamed (79')
Key stats
Possession: Al-Arabi SC 67% · Al Gharafa 33% · Total shots: 14-7 · On target: 3-3 · Corners: 7-2