Al Gharafa and Al Arabi played out a goalless draw in Round 4 (Group B) of the 2020-21 season Ooredoo Cup at the Al Arabi Stadium on Tuesday.
The result saw Al Gharafa drop points for the first time in the tournament. They are now on 10 points, whereas Al Arabi have eight points.
Al Gharafa were more on the attack in the first half, with Jonathan Kodjia and Sofiane Hanni at the helm of their offensives.
Kodjia almost scored in the fourth minute, but for the alertness of Al Arabi goalkeeper Sataa Al Abbasi, who had a good game. The burly striker won the ball many times with his skill and physique. At the same time, he missed the target a few times.
Hanni, meanwhile, partnered Kodjia, but saw his shot go wide of the target.
For Al Arabi, Fahad Khalfan headed the ball over the bar in injury time after he came up with a feeble shot, which was collected by goalkeeper Yousef Hassan, playing his first match in a senior competition after a long injury layoff.
The second half saw a spate of substitutions on either side. Yet, a goal eluded the teams as they settled for a draw.
Hanni had a good chance in the 50th minute to take his team up after he pounced on a faulty minus pass, only to see his shot being blocked by Sataa.
Then, it was Fahad’s turn in the 72nd minute, but his long-range shot was parried by the goalkeeper. While Al Gharafa’s Ahmed Al Janahi and Abdulghani Muneer too failed to score, Yousef thwarted Al Arabi’s Ibrahim Nasser.