FOOTBALL – AL Najma and Manama locked in their places last night in next season’s Nasser bin Hamad Bahrain Premier Football League.
Najma retained their spot in the kingdom’s top flight following a 3-0 victory over Budaiya yesterday at the National Stadium in Riffa – a result that also ensured Budaiya’s relegation to the Bahrain First Division.
Manama, meanwhile, authored their return to the premiership – having competing this past campaign in division one – with their own 3-0 triumph over Al Ettihad last night at Al Ahli Club Stadium in Mahooz. The outcome also meant Ettihad are staying in the first division for 2026-27.
Najma and Manama both secured their berths with one game still to play in these relegation/promotion play-offs. The concluding matchday, which will feature two no-bearing contests, is scheduled to be held on Saturday.
Both winning sides yesterday improved to six points apiece on the mini competition’s table, while the losing outfits remained on zero points each.
In Najma’s win over Budaiya, they took the lead in the 43rd minute when Ali Humood Aldoseri scored with a low effort from several yards outside the box. A Budaiya attempt to clear sent the ball directly to Aldoseri, and he fired into the bottom-left corner of the net from distance.
Najma’s Aldoseri celebrates after firing his team ahead against Budaiya last night
Najma doubled their advantage in the 56th minute when Saleh Ali Alzabidi guided the ball home after going unmarked in the face of goal. He was on the receiving end of a cross from the right, delivered by teammate Faisal Abudahoom.
Najma then applied the nail in the coffin with a penalty in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time, converted by French import Zachary Marvin Hadji. Najma were awarded the spot kick after Hadji was brought down in the area by Budaiya’s Qasim Saeed Ali. Hadji stole away possession from Budaiya’s Yemeni skipper Nawaf Abdullah Ali and then charged towards goal, but was then fouled by Ali.
Hadji stepped forward to take the penalty himself, and he coolly sent it past Budaiya custodian Abdulla Efrih Alahmed.
In Manama’s triumph, Brazilian professional Suelynton Thiago Brito put his team ahead with a diving header in the 21st minute. He scored from an acute angle on the left of the box after Bosnia-Herzegovina teammate Nemanja Nikolic provided the assist with a precision cross from the right wing.
Pablo Augusto de Carvalho, also from Brazil, then made it 2-0 for Manama in the 62nd minute with the first goal of his brace last night. He tapped in from the face of goal off a cross from the right by Ali Muftah.
De Carvalho was then on target again just four minutes later. He scored off a Brito headed pass, which came on a rebound after his earlier attempt on goal was blocked. De Carvalho simply needed to tap in from point-blank range, sealing Manama’s big win and their return to the Nasser bin Hamad Bahrain Premier Football League, where they last played in 2024-25.
Budaiya and Najma are competing in these play-offs after finishing ninth and 10th, respectively, this past premiership season. Budaiya now join already relegated Al Shabab and Bahrain Club in the drop to the first division.
Manama and Ettihad, on the other hand, finished amongst the top four in division one. Manama will join promoted sides Al Ettifaq and East Riffa in their rise to the premiership.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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