FOOTBALL – RIFFA and Hidd were both triumphant last night in the 2025-26 Nasser Bin Hamad Bahrain Premier Football League.
Riffa struck twice early in the first half and then added another in second-half injury time to come away with a resounding 3-0 victory over Sitra at the National Stadium in Riffa.
Hidd, meanwhile, registered a well-deserved 3-1 win against Bahrain Club at the Late Shaikh Ali Bin Mohammed Bin Isa Al Khalifa Stadium in Arad.
Both matches were part of the second week of action in the new season.
League play continues this evening with both defending champions Muharraq and Al Khaldiya – widely regarded to be amongst the league’s top contenders this season – both in action. Muharraq face off with Al Shabab at the National Stadium while Khaldiya battle Al Ahli at Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Isa Town. Both fixtures are scheduled for 7pm starts.
In Riffa’s victory yesterday, Vinicius Vargas dos Santos and Wellington Moreira were both on target for their team, with Dos Santos supplying a brace.
He gave Riffa a fantastic start after scoring just two minutes from kick-off. Dos Santos fired in with a left-footed effort from inside the box off an assist by Brazilian professional Rodrigo Yuri Pires Franca. He set Dos Santos up perfectly for his low shot, which he sent past Sitra custodian Abbas Ahmed Khamis.
Riffa were then 2-0 up just 12 minutes later when Hussain Al Eker passed to Moreira on the edge of the area, and he later unleashed a fine effort from an acute angle on the right of goal. Moreira did well to create some space against his Sitra markers and then squeezed the ball through a narrow opening between Khamis and the right post.
Although both teams had other opportunities to score throughout the match, Dos Santos only applied the nail in the coffin with a stunning strike in the first minute of second-half stoppage time. After receiving a pass from Ebrahim Al Khattal, Dos Santos used his first touch to set up a volley, which he then drove to the top-right corner of the net.
Riffa claimed their first win of the new campaign and improved to four points on the league table, while handing Sitra their maiden defeat as they stayed on three markers.
In last night’s other game, Bekaye Wade from Mauritania hit a double for Hidd after teammate Ahmed Moosa Hasan put their team ahead. Sami Al Hussaini scored Bahrain Club’s lone consolation in their loss.
Hidd went ahead in the second minute of first-half added time following a fine one-two between Hasan and Jordanian professional Ahmed Suleiman Aleikish, with the help of some porous defending from their opponents. Hasan shot from near the penalty spot after Aleikish returned the ball with a short pass from the right.
Wade was then on target twice within four minutes in the second half. He made it 2-0 in the 65th minute from close range following a great pass from Abdulla Al Subaie. Wade then put Hidd up 3-0 in the 69th after his initial shot was blocked by Bahrain Club defender Gabriel Araujo dos Santos, but then made no mistake with his follow-up effort off the rebound.
Bahrain Club got their goal back four minutes from regular time when Al Hussaini scored off a pass from Brazilian teammate Gabriel Monteiro Vasconcelos.
Hidd improved to four points with their opening victory, while Bahrain Club stayed winless after two matches to date.
The 2025-26 Nasser Bin Hamad Bahrain Premier Football League is to be played in a double round-robin. The first round will continue until the 11th match week, which starts on January 8 next year, while the ensuing 11 match weeks have yet to be scheduled.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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