Batelco Gunners United beat Al Nawayef 4-2 early this morning to qualify for the final of Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Football Ramadan Tournament ‘Nasser 11’ at Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Isa Town.
Al Nawayef led the first half of their semi-final game 2-0 as Sa’ad Al Amer and Abdulaziz Falah scored in the 4th and 25th minutes, respectively.
Batelco Gunners hit back in the second half with Ali Nasser scoring in the 59th, Mahmood Abdulrahman in the 65th minute, Hassan Abdulredha in the 71st minute, and Oache in the 88th minute.
Abdulla Al Malki of Batelco Gunners won the man of the match award.
Meanwhile, the president of the High Organising Committee of Nasser bin Hamad Ramadan Football Tournament ‘Nasser 11’ has said that preparations for the final have been intensified following the announcement of Real Madrid star striker Karim Benzema about his plans to come to Bahrain to watch the match.
Benzema’s decision was met with positive reactions from sports enthusiasts in the kingdom, who unanimously agreed on the importance of such a historic visit and its impact on the tournament as well as Bahrain sport.
“We want the final game to be a tremendous success. All the committees involved in organising Nasser 11 are working tirelessly day and night to make the final an exceptional event. We instructed to print 10,000 entry tickets to the game, in which raffle draws for valuable prizes, including five cars, will take place,” Tawfiq Al Salehi said, adding: “This year’s final will be a historic one.”
Organising committee member Hussain Al Durazi said that the presence of Benzema in the final gives the tournament an international look and promotes it on a larger scale, especially because the French star’s announcement came after his team’s historic victory in the Uefa Champions League final over Liverpool.
“Nasser Football Tournament was attracting local sports enthusiasts, but now it is being followed at international level,” Al Durazi said. “The visit of a megastar in the shape of Benzema to Bahrain speaks volumes on the kingdom’s efforts to develop its sports field. Real Madrid have a large fan base in Bahrain and Benzema’s presence will encourage a lot of them to attend the match,” he added.
Former Bahraini international player Ismail Abdullatif hailed the idea of bringing Benzema to Bahrain to attend the final.
“Benzema’s presence at Nasser 11 final will make it the centre of attention for international newspapers”, he said.