Riffa miss out on AFC Cup final

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain champions Riffa missed out on the opportunity to play for the AFC Cup 2022 title following a heartbreaking 0-4 defeat to Al Seeb of Oman last night in the West Zone final, played at Seeb Sports Stadium in Muscat.

The Bahrainis conceded all four of the match’s goals in a disastrous second half, where four different Seeb players found the target and Riffa missed a penalty.

The result secured Riffa’s elimination from the competition, in which they hoped to follow in the footsteps of fellow-Bahrain club Muharraq in being crowned champions and keeping the AFC Cup in Bahrain.

Seeb will now have the chance to be the first Omani team to win the coveted trophy.

They now move on to the AFC Cup 2022 final, where they will meet the victors of the Inter-Zone final on October 22 between Sogdiana Jizzakh from Uzbekistan and Kuala Lumpur City of Malaysia.

After a goalless first half, Seeb struck within just two minutes into the restart. Abdulaziz Al Muqbali hit a left-footed shot from close range, which he sent into the bottom-left corner of goal.

The Omanis then doubled their advantage 15 minutes later when Ahmed Al Siyabi’s 62nd minute strike from the centre of the box was sent to the bottom-right corner of the net.

Al Muqbali provided the assist. Riffa were then handed a golden opportunity to get back into the game in the 74th minute when Seeb’s Eid Al Farsi fouled Bahrain international midfielder Mohammed Jassim Marhoon in the area.

They were awarded a penalty and Marhoon stepped forward to take the spot kick, but his right-footed effort hit the right post, denying the Bahrainis a consolation.

Seeb took full advantage of the lost chance, and they made it 3-0 in the 79th minute with Salaah Al Yahyaei finding the target.

He sent his right-footed shot from the left of the six-yard box to the bottom-left corner off an Ali Al Busaidi through-ball.

Seeb then applied the finishing touch in the second minute of second-half stoppage time with their fourth goal.

Cosmos Dauda headed home from the centre of the box to the top-right corner off a cross supplied by Hassan Al Ajmi.