FOOTBALL – AL Khaldiya maintained their lead atop the table in the 2025-26 Nasser Bin Hamad Bahrain Premier Football League last night with a resounding 3-0 victory over Al Najma at the National Stadium in Riffa.
Three different players were on target for the victors in their matchweek 11 triumph, including Gleison Wilson da Silva Moreira, Congolese professional Joel Beya Tumuteka, and Moroccan Saif-Eddine Bouhra.
The result earned Khaldiya their league-best ninth win in 11 outings as they improved to 27 points in first place – three ahead of second-placed Riffa and four in front of defending champions Muharraq, who have a game in hand.
Riffa were also in action last night, and they escaped with a last-gasp 1-0 win over Bahrain Club despite being reduced to 10 men at Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Isa Town.
In Khaldiya’s triumph, Moreira opened their account in the 11th minute with a goal off a deflected pass by Tumuteka. Moreira took advantage of the opportunity and fired in with his left foot from inside the area.
Khaldiya then doubled their advantage just 10 minutes later when Tumuteka scored from close range. He netted in off a short pass from the left delivered by German teammate Anas Ouahim, and it was enough for the two-goal cushion at the break.
Prior to half-time, Khaldiya goalkeeper Ricardo Manuel Rodrigues da Silva made a couple of important saves. He first kept out a Samy Frioui rocket in the 28th minute and then just before the interval stopped a header by Najma’s Serbian defender Dusan Jokovic off a corner-kick.
After the re-start, Khaldiya went three goals in front in the 52nd minute through Bouhra. Teammate Ali Al Sharqawi stole possession from Najma and then passed to national team star Mohammed Al Rumaihi, who found an unmarked Bouhra charging into the box. He then made no mistake with his shot from close range, sending the ball past Najma custodian Ammar Mohammed with a left-footed effort.
With the result, Khaldiya handed Najma their fifth loss of this campaign as they stayed on 12 points in the standings.
Meanwhile, in Riffa’s dramatic late victory against Bahrain Club last night, Thiago Augusto Fernandes was given his marching orders in the 86th minute after his boot made contact with the face of Bahrain Club’s Brazilian midfielder Gabriel da Silva Oliveira while attempting a bicycle kick.
The game then took a stunning twist when Riffa were awarded a penalty deep into second-half stoppage time after a VAR review confirmed that Bahrain Club defender Mohammed Jamal Isa handled the ball in the box.
Riffa’s Brazilian Rodrigo Yuri Pires Franca stepped forward to take the spot kick, which he coolly sent to the bottom-left corner in the 101st minute.
Franca’s conversion separated the two sides as Riffa claimed their seventh win of the season while improving to 24 points. Bahrain Club suffered their league-worst ninth defeat to stay on six points in the bottom of the table.
Matchweek 11 concludes this evening with another two fixtures on schedule. Muharraq clash with mid-table side A’ali at 4.25pm at Khalifa Sports City Stadium, and Malkiya face off with Sitra at the National Stadium at 7pm.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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