HANDBALL – Mohamed Rabia converted a game-clinching penalty with no time remaining to lift Al Ahli to a thrilling 25-24 victory over Al Najma last night in gameweek five of the 2026-27 Khalid bin Hamad Bahrain Handball League.
The clash between two of the kingdom’s handball giants attracted a large crowd of fans who packed the Bahrain Handball Federation Arena in Um Al Hassam Sports Complex.
Najma built a slim 16-14 lead at the half but Ahli made a late push in the second to erase a deficit of up to four goals heading into the game’s concluding 10 minutes.
Qassim Qambar scored the equaliser that made it 23-all with less than five minutes to play.
Mohammed Habib Ahmed then fired into an empty net to give Najma back the advantage, but then Qambar was on target once again, this time on a fastbreak, to forge the 24-all deadlock.
That then set the stage for Rabia’s end-game heroics from the penalty stripe.
Ahli were awarded the shot after Ali Mahmoud was fouled as the game clock expired, and Rabia made no mistake with his attempt, sending the ball into the bottom-left corner of the net past Najma’s superstar goalkeeper Mohammed Abdulhussain.
The result earned Ahli their fourth win in five outings and it ended Najma’s unbeaten run of four straight victories to start the new season.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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