Al Sailiya, who avoided relegation to the first division with the expansion of the QSL to 14 teams for the current season, raced to a two-goal lead in the 17th minute when Ghanaian midfielder Babo Baro added to an eighth-minute opener from former Lekhwiya forward Moumouni Dagano.

Luiz Martin (Luiz Mairton Carlos Júnior) reduced the deficit seven minutes later before parity was restored with four minutes of the first half remaining when Youssef Mskani bagged the first of his brace.

The Tunisian international, who Ahram online reported broke the Arab football transfer record when he joined Lekhwiya from Esperance de Tunis in a US$15million deal, put the ACL quarter-finalists 3-2 up in the 52nd minute only for Al Sailiya to earn a share of the spoils when Baro scored his second with five minutes left on the clock.

Lekhwiya will be looking to overturn a 2-0 deficit when they renew acquaintances with Chinese champions Guangzhou Evergrande in their 2013 AFC Champions League quarter-final second-leg clash on September 18 in Doha.