FOOTBALL – Muharraq and Al Khaldiya maintained their strong starts to the 2025-26 Nasser Bin Hamad Bahrain Premier Football League last night.
Muharraq were a force in their 3-0 victory over Al Shabab at the National Stadium in Riffa, while Khaldiya edged past 10-man Al Ahli 1-0 at Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Isa Town.
The matches brought match week two of the new season to a close, as both victors secured their second successive wins.
Muharraq and Khaldiya are widely tipped to be amongst the leading contenders for the title this campaign and they lived up to that tag in their assignments yesterday.
Abdulkarim Oumar Madou Diarra registered a brace for Muharraq in their resounding triumph against Shabab, while Portuguese professional Elliot Jorge Simoes Inacio fired in their other goal.
Inacio opened their account in the second minute of first-half added time, hitting a rocket from just outside the penalty box despite being surrounded by Shabab defenders.
That was enough to send his team into the half with the narrow advantage, as Shabab goalkeeper Mahmood Al Ajmi kept Muharraq from extending the gap with a fine save on an Edimar Ribeiro da Costa Junior attempt.
After the break, Diarra supplied his brace. He was first on target from inside the area in the 56th minute off a pass from Inacio.
He then made it 3-0 just two minutes on with another brilliant effort.
Diarra scored with a left-footed shot from outside the box that flew past Al Ajmi to the top-left corner of the net, set up by a short assist from skipper Mohammed Al Hardan.
Muharraq improved to six points with the result to rise to the top of the league table, while Shabab were dealt their first loss as they remained on one point.
In last night’s other match, a single strike from Congo import Joel Beya Tumuteka was enough to separate the two sides.
Tumuteka put Khaldiya ahead in the 10th minute with a stunning volley from just outside the six-yard box.
He scored off a cross from the left sent in by team captain Sayed Dhiya Saeed.
Later in the half, an impressive save by Khaldiya’s Portuguese custodian Ricardo Manuel da Silva on a 37th-minute Sayed Mahdi Sharaf effort helped them preserve their lead heading into the locker rooms.
Ahli were then reduced to 10 men in the second half when Fabrice Badouidana Onana from Cameroon was given his marching orders following a dangerous tackle on Mohammed Adel in the 76th minute.
Ahli goalkeeper Sayed Shubar Alawi later made an important stop a minute from regular time on a shot from close range by Gleison Wilson da Silva Moreira.
Khaldiya also went to six points on the standings but have scored four goals less than Muharraq so far.
Ahli suffered their second straight loss and they stayed on zero markers.
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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