Shabab Al Ahli moved two points clear at the top of the ADNOC Pro League table after a hard-fought 2-1 win over Ittihad Kalba in matchweek 18 on Thursday.
The visitors wasted no time and took an early lead less than five minutes into the game when Federico Cartabia burst through midfield and skipped past a defender before drilling the ball into the back of the net.
The winner came six minutes after the hour-mark when Ittihad Kalba's defender Sultan Alzaabi failed to clear Yuri Cesar's effort as the former directed the ball into his own net, to make it 2-0.
Nine minutes before the time, Ahmed Alnaqbi reduced the deficit when he was teed up by Abdoulay Diaby inside the box, allowing the unmarked forward to control the ball before curling a low effort into the back of the net.
The victory means that Shabab Al Ahli go at the top of the ADNOC Pro League's table with 39 points, while Ittihad Kalba remain eighth with 24 points.