Doha: Lekhwiya picked up their first win in Group C of the AFC Champions League as Sebastian Soria’s first-half strike and a penalty by Nam Tae-hee after the interval gave the Qatari league leaders a 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad on Tuesday. A night of misery for the visitors at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium was made worse when captain Hamad Al Montashari was sent off after taking his protests with the referee too far after he had given away the penalty late in the game. With the win, Lekhwiya moved up four points, two behind Group C leaders Al Ain while Al Ittihad slipped to the bottom of the section after suffering their second loss in three games. Quarter-finalists in the AFC Champion League last year, Lekhwiya have struggled to get off the mark in the group stage this season after coming through the play-offs last month. But they began the match well and offered much of the early threat against their Saudi visitors, who struggled to get a foothold in the game. And they took a deserved lead in the 22nd minute when Nam’s powerful shot deflected off a defender to Soria, who controlled the ball in the box with his back to goal before turning past Mohammed Al Amri and firing the ball into the far corner of the net. Al Ittihad were an improved side after the break as they pushed for an equaliser but they were dealt a huge blow when they conceded a penalty in the 79th minute after Al Montashari appeared to catch Youssef Msakni on the right of the box. Nam stepped up to drill the ball into the top left corner, giving the goalkeeper no chance. But that would not be the end of the matter as Al Montashari, who had been booked for the original foul, continued to argue his case with the referee and received a red card for his troubles.