FOOTBALL – HIDD climbed into the top five on the standings last night with a resounding 4-1 victory over struggling Sitra in matchweek 15 of the 2025-26 Nasser Bin Hamad Bahrain Premier Football League.
Algerian professional Oussama Bellatreche and Gambian teammate Jumai Jallow had a brace apiece at the National Stadium in Riffa to help lift their side to the big win.
Hidd dominated the contest once they broke the goalless deadlock and, with the result, improved to 21 points on the table – ranked behind only defending champions Muharraq, Al Khaldiya, Riffa and Malkiya.
They handed Sitra their third defeat in a row in league play and continue to get pushed closer to having to fight to stay away from relegation.
Both teams’ goalkeepers made fine saves in the early stages of last night’s clash to keep the score tied.
Sitra custodian Yusuf Habib Mansoor kept out a Jallow attempt that was on target in the 14th minute before Hidd’s Isa Moosa also came close soon after, hitting a free-kick from distance that flew just wide of the right post.
Hidd goalkeeper Mohammed Algharably then had his turn to shine, making impressive back-to-back stops to keep Sitra at bay. He first stopped Brazilian Bruno Luiz Bezerra in a one-on-one on a quick Sitra counter-attack, and then prevailed against former teammate Bakaye Wade, who tried to score off the ensuing rebound. Algharably then had another key stop on Sitra’s Yemeni playmaker Abdulwasea Almatari.
Hidd’s Jordanian import Mohammad Ahmad Aleikish later missed a golden opportunity in the 35th minute from right next to the penalty spot. But that set the stage for Bellatreche’s opening goal six minutes later, when he pounced on a ball that was not cleared by their opponents after Algerian teammate Rachid Boumessous played it towards the net.
Hidd doubled their advantage on the stroke of half-time with a brilliant curling strike from Jallow. He unleashed his left-footed shot from an acute angle on the right of the box, and it flew past Mansoor, who was too stunned to attempt a save.
After the re-start, the two goal scorers then connected to stretch Hidd’s lead to 3-0 in the 53rd minute. Bellatreche was on the receiving end of a perfectly timed through-ball from Jallow, and all he needed to do was guide the ball home from just outside the six-yard box.
Jallow then completed his brace three minutes after the hour-mark when he sent in a short stab off a cross delivered by Moroccan teammate Mahmoud El Kayssoumi.
A goal from Hidd’s Abdulla Al Subaie four minutes from full-time was later cancelled by the referee following a VAR review determined that Aleikish had committed a foul against Bezerra in the lead-up to the strike.
Sitra were then spared additional heartbreak in the fourth minute of second-half injury time when a red card shown to Saudi professional Rayan Fourgi was rescinded by the referee. Fourgi was originally sent off after stepping on the foot of Hidd’s Tunisian import Walid Karoui, but after a VAR check, the call was downgraded to just a yellow card.
Sitra then got a goal back four minutes on when skipper Yaya Al Hadj Ousman scored with a shot that took a deflection off the boot of Hidd substitute Ahmed Habib Marhoon. It was just a consolation, however, and it had little bearing on the final outcome.
The game wrapped up this season’s 15th matchweek, in which Hidd joined defending champions Muharraq, Al Khaldiya, Riffa, Al Ahli and Al Shabab as winners from their respective fixtures.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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