Al Khaldiya were last night crowned the first-ever champions of the Khalid Bin Hamad Cup.
The two-time defending Nasser Bin Hamad Bahrain Premier League champs added this latest accolade to their already glittering trophy cabinet following a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Riffa yesterday at the National Stadium in Riffa.
Jordanian professional Ali Al Azaizeh fired in the winning strike in the 26th minute.
He delivered the match’s lone goal from inside the penalty area after splitting Riffa players Jassim Al Shaikh and Ahmed Nabeel with a brilliant display of individual skill.
After receiving a pass from Sayed Dhiya Saeed, Al Azaizeh dribbled past the pair and sent in a left-footed effort to beat opposing goalkeeper Ahmed Abduljalil Madanieh. That was enough to put his team in the lead at half-time.
Later in the contest, a Mahdi Humaidan goal after a quickly taken free-kick with eight minutes to go in regular time was disallowed by the referee.
Humaidan received a long pass from beyond half-field but appeared to control the ball with his upper arm before tapping in after out-smarting Madanieh. It was cancelled by match official Mahmood Bonfour for a handball violation, and following a VAR check, the decision stood.
Riffa tried valiantly to find an equaliser over the game’s closing stages but could not do so even after nine minutes of second-half stoppage time.
After the game, Khaldiya team members were presented the Khalid bin Hamad Cup by Supreme Council for Youth and Sport first deputy chairman, General Sports Authority chairman, and Bahrain Olympic Committee president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, along with Bahrain Football Association (BFA) president Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, BFA vice-president Shaikh Khalifa bin Ali bin Isa Al Khalifa, and other high-ranking officials.
Saeed and veteran striker Ismaeel Abdullatif received the trophy on the team’s behalf during the awarding.
With the result, Khaldiya came away with a cool BD20,000 in prize money as the winners of the all-new national tournament, while Riffa took home BD10,000 as runners-up.
The competition was held under the patronage of Shaikh Khalid.
Khaldiya earned their place in yesterday’s final after outclassing Muharraq 4-1 last week. Riffa, on the other hand, needed an extra-time winner to oust His Majesty the King’s Cup holders Al Ahli 3-2 in a nail-biting encounter in the other match of the competition’s opening phase.
All four teams competing in the inaugural edition of Khalid Bin Hamad Cup earned their places having finished as the top four clubs in the 2023-24 season of the Nasser Bin Hamad Bahrain Premier League.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
Top stories for today:
Khaldiya clinch title
Traditional clothes plan for workplaces backed
Councillors call for plan to enforce public cleanliness
&uuid=(email))