FOOTBALL – Defending champions Muharraq powered to a dominant 4-0 victory over Sitra last night in the 2025-26 Nasser bin Hamad Bahrain Premier Football League.
Four different players were on target for the victors on a chilly evening at Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Isa Town. Waleed Al Hayyam, Edimar Ribeiro da Costa Junior, Facundo Agustin Tobares, and Abdulkarim Oumar Diarra all made it onto the scoresheet as Muharraq romped to the emphatic result for the full three points.
Last night’s match was originally part of the sixth week of the season but was postponed due to both teams’ participations in continental and regional tournaments.
Muharraq posted their seventh win in 10 outings with the result, as they improved to 23 points – just a single point behind current leaders Al Khaldiya for second place on the table. Sitra, on the other hand, suffered their third loss in 10 matches and stayed on 11 points in the bottom half of the standings.
Muharraq enjoyed a dream start in last night’s clash as Al Hayyam put them in front in the very first minute. He was on the receiving end of a lobbed pass delivered from the left by Abdulwahab Al Malood. Al Hayyam then needed only to guide the ball home past Sitra goalkeeper Yusuf Habib Mansoor, giving his team the early advantage.
Da Costa Junior doubled their advantage in the 17th minute with a stunning volley from the left of the area following a pass from the right by Tobares, which was not dealt with by the Sitra defence. The strike was da Costa Junior’s ninth of the campaign, putting him in solo first place in the race for the league’s top scorer.
Tobares then contributed Muharraq’s third only four minutes after the break. Brazilian teammate Arther Rodrigues Rezende supplied a precision high pass, which sent Tobares past his markers as they charged towards goal. He then tucked the ball home into an empty net after Sitra’s Mansoor came off his line as he mistimed his unsuccessful challenge.
Diarra applied the nail in the coffin for Muharraq in the 69th minute. He scored their fourth following an impressive one-two with Rezende, who registered his second assist of the night. Diarra received the ball deep inside the box as he was set up perfectly by Rezende, and he slotted home from near the penalty spot.
League action is scheduled to continue with week 11 fixtures from tomorrow until Saturday. Two matches are scheduled for each evening.
Tomorrow, Al Shabab face Hidd and Al Ahli take on Budaiya. On Friday, Khaldiya play Al Najma and Riffa battle Bahrain Club. On Saturday, Muharraq are back in action against A’ali while Sitra lock horns with Malkiya.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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