Defending champions Batelco Gunners United sent a strong warning to other contenders after crushing Al Nawayef 3-0 in a Group 2 match of the Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa Ramadan Football Tournament - Nasser 11.
Gunners United had to wait until the second half to break the deadlock when, in the 52nd minute, Hassan Abdulredha sent the opposition goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot. Fahad Al Hardan doubled the defending champions’ lead three minutes later, while Brazilian player Diego completed the rout in the 61st minute.
In the other match of the same group, Tylos secured a hard-earned 1-0 victory against Jurnas thanks to Mohammed Al Na’ar.
Jurnas would consider themselves unlucky to lose after controlling a large portion of the game and seeing their player Naji Fathi missing from the spot.
“I was unlucky to miss such a chance. I apologised to my teammates because scoring the penalty would have given us the lead,” said Jani after the match.
Mission
“Now our mission to qualify for the next round got a bit complicated. But I am confident in our abilities to go beyond this stage,” he added.
Al Fakhar will play Tumooh at 5.35pm today in a Group 3 encounter at Khalifa Sports City Stadium. The second game of the same group will see Numas facing Majestic at 8pm at the same venue.
Meanwhile, Bahrain Basketball Association president Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa has hailed the series of successes achieved by tournament and the way it has developed over the years.
Shaikh Isa said that the tournament has become one of the most important sports events at local and regional levels due to the wide-range of football enthusiasts following it and the top players taking part.
Shaikh Isa added that the tournament has achieved tremendous success since its launch, praising the efforts of the High Organising Committee.
“Competitions similar to this play a key role in accommodating youth and enabling them to showcase their talents. They also give local clubs the opportunity to discover new talents in several sports,” Shaikh Isa said.