FOOTBALL – Budaiya hit four past Bahrain Club while A’ali and Al Ahli played to a thrilling stalemate last night in the 2025-26 Nasser Bin Hamad Bahrain Premier Football League.
Four different players were on target for Budaiya in their resounding 4-1 victory against Bahrain Club at Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Isa Town.
A’ali, meanwhile, took the lead in the first half but conceded to Ahli in the final quarter-hour in a tight 1-1 draw at the Late Shaikh Ali Bin Mohammed Bin Isa Al Khalifa Stadium in Arad.
Yesterday’s games wrapped up the third week of action in the new season.
Budaiya joined Al Shabab as the only other team to claim the full three points from their games this week.
In their big result, they went ahead after only three minutes when Nigerian professional Clement Ogbobe fired home from close range.
Teammate Abdulaziz Mohamed Alshaikh provided the assist from the left as Ogbobe came charging into the box before slotting home.
Bahrain Club equalised just seven minutes later when Brazilian Gabriel Monteiro Vasconcelos found his mark from inside the area.
Countryman Mateus Eduardo Araujo deflected an attempt to clear by Budaiya’s Ali Khalil Jassim, and then the ball fell to Gabriel da Silva Oliveira, also from Brazil.
He passed to Vasconcelos on the right, who made no mistake with his effort.
Budaiya were back in front in the 41st minute when Daniel Asante headed in from the face of goal off a cross delivered by Ogbobe.
After the re-start, Budaiya added two more goals late on. French import Kablan Davy Ngoma made it 3-1 in the 79th minute when he curled in a brilliant free-kick from the outside edge of the area.
Abdulla Jasim Albahrani then applied the nail in the coffin three minutes from full time, scoring from close range after being set up by Ogbobe with a timely turning pass.
With the result, Budaiya registered their first win of the season as they improved to four points, while Bahrain Club suffered their third straight defeat and stayed at the very bottom of the league table with zero markers.
In A’ali’s game against Ahli, Brazilian Robson da Silva nearly put A’ali ahead in the 33rd minute with a good chance off a pass from Matheus Lima de Almeida, but opposing goalkeeper Sayed Shubbar Alawi blocked his effort.
Moments later, Brazilian Michel Darlyn Dias Rocha had a header go just wide, and then Diego Cardoso Nogueira came close with another header but it was collected by Alawi.
A’ali were on the board in the 39th minute after Nogueira scored off a cross by Portuguese professional Alvaro Jordao Cardoso from the right.
Cardoso was on the receiving end of a long pass from their own half by Irish defender Clyde O’Connell before finding Nogueira in an ideal position to tap the ball in.
Ahli then drew level in the 75th minute with a brilliant strike by Faisal Hasan Hejair from nearly 30 yards out.
He calmly collected a clearance off an Ahli corner kick, and with his second touch drove in a low shot that flew past a group of rival defenders and into the left of the net.
A’ali had several late chances to take the win following attempts by Lyton Julius Ndukwu from the British Virgin Islands, O’Connell, Jassim Khelaif, and Youssef Mohammed Ataoui, but they were narrowly unsuccessful.
Mahmood Yusuf Hejair also came close for Ahli on the stroke of regular time, but his shot went inches off the right post.
A’ali posted their first draw of this campaign and went to four points, while Ahli scored their first point after kicking off the league with back-to-back defeats.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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