FOOTBALL – Leaders Riffa battled past Sitra 3-2 last night while A’ali won against Al Najma 2-1 to kick off matchweek six in the 2026-27 Nasser bin Hamad Bahrain Premier Football League.
Brazilian Rodrigo Yuri Pires Franca fired in a brace for Riffa while Algerian Tayeb Meziani supplied their other goal in their hard-earned triumph at the National Stadium to open up a three-point gap atop the table.
A’ali, on the other hand, overcame Najma at Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Isa Town thanks to the double of Diego Cardoso Noguiera.
Both of yesterday’s contests were part of an exciting first evening of action in the league’s sixth round, which continue today and tomorrow with two matches each day.
Tonight, Al Khalidya will be facing off with former table-toppers Al Ettifaq at 5pm at the National Stadium in Riffa, to be followed at 5.30pm by two-time defending champions Muharraq taking on East Riffa at Khalifa Sports City Stadium.
The week’s programme will then wrap up tomorrow with Malkiya and Al Ahli locking horns at the National Stadium and Hidd facing Manama at Al Ahli Club Stadium in Mahooz, both kicking off at 7pm.
In Riffa’s win last night, Sitra were first on the score board when Mauritania professional Mohamed Salem sent the ball home in the 12th minute after fighting off his Riffa markers to score from inside the penalty box.
But Riffa drew level in the 41st minute after Mahdi Abduljabbar tapped in off a Franca effort that came off the crossbar.
Abduljabbar was quickest to react and he scored unchallenged from the face of goal as Sitra’s players could only watch.
After the break, Riffa went ahead with back-to-back strikes in quick succession.
Meziani made it 2-1 with a brilliant 57th minute solo effort in the right of the area, unleashing a left-footed shot to beat Sitra’s Hamad Aldoseri.
Just three minutes later, Franca scored his second of the night after being picked out by teammate Wellington Moreira for a fine assist and then firing in from near the penalty spot.
Bekaye Wade, also from Mauritania, scored a second consolation for Sitra in the 88th minute.
His initial effort was stopped by Lithuanian custodian Dziugas Bartkus, but Riffa’s backline failed to clear the ball, and Wade took advantage, slotting in from close range.
The goal had no affect on the final outcome, however, as Riffa claimed the full three points to improve to 14 in first place.
They handed Sitra their second defeat as they remained on eight markers.
Meanwhile, in A’ali’s win, they took the lead with a penalty after being awarded a spot kick when Jassim Khelaif was brought down in the box by Najma’s Badar Bashir Abdallah.
Noguiera made no mistake with his 12th minute effort, which he sent to the right of the net past Najma goalkeeper Ammar Mohammed.
Noguiera then gave A’ali their second in the 80th minute following a defensive blunder by Najma substitute Mohamed Jamal Musabah.
He mistimed an aerial challenge for possession, allowing Noguiera to go for a one-on-one with Mohammed, whom he beat from close range despite late pressure from Abdallah.
Najma later got a goal back after Ali Muneer Redha was brought down in the area by Yazid Mohammed Abdellah in the third minute of second-half injury time.
Brazilian Rickson Barbosa da Conceicao stepped forward to take the responsibilities and he coolly converted against Omar Salem, sending the ball into the bottom-left corner of the net.
A’ali triumphed for the second time this season and improved to seven points, tying Najma on the standings as they suffered their third defeat.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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