Muharraq triumph to stay atop league table

TDT | Manama                      

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com   

Muharraq maintained their lead atop the table in the 2022/2023 Nasser bin Hamad Bahrain Premier Football League last night following a 1-0 victory over Manama at the Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Isa Town.

Bahrain international midfielder Abdulwahab Al Malood scored the match’s lone goal in the 11th minute.

That was enough to separate the two sides and earn Muharraq’s league-leading sixth win.

In other matches yesterday, defending champions Riffa outclassed Al Hala 3-1 while Hidd edged past East Riffa 1-0 with a last-gasp goal.

The games were part of the first evening of action in the league’s eighth week.

Al Malood scored for Muharraq after tapping the ball home just inches from the goal line.

He was on the receiving end of a lobbed pass by Hassan Uqabi bin Haddish from the left wing.

Neither team were able to add to the score line the rest of the way, despite coming close a few times.

Muharraq improved to 20 points atop the league standings while Manama stayed on 12 with their second loss.

In Riffa’s victory, Komail Al Aswad was the star man with a brace while Sayed Hashem Isa supplied their other goal. Baba Diop scored Hala’s lone goal.

Isa opened Riffa’s account in the 15th minute with a header in the face of goal off a cross from the left supplied by Mohammed Jassim Marhoon.

Hala answered in the 19th minute, with Diop tapping the ball in a low cross from Fahad Jassim in the six-yard box.

Al Aswad gave Riffa back the lead in the 74th minute with a brilliant show of skill. He received a long pass from Jassim Al Shaikh beyond the half-field line, and with his second touch, fired into goal.

Al Aswad then applied the nail in the coffin with a penalty in the 81st minute.

Mohammed Al Rumaihi was taken down in the area by Alain Eyenga, and then Al Aswad stepped forward to take the spot kick, which he sent to the bottom-right corner of the net.

With the result, Riffa improved to 16 points on the standings following their fifth win in eight matches.

Hala were handed their second loss and stayed on eight points.