Etame goal gives East Riffa derby win

TDT | Manama    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Jerome Mpacko Etame fired in a sensational winner to help lift East Riffa to a 1-0 victory over Riffa last night in a hotly contested derby in the 2023/2024 Nasser bin Hamad Bahrain Premier Football League.

Etame scored the match’s lone goal with a brilliant solo effort in the 26th minute. He outsprinted five Riffa defenders in his charge towards goal and then slotted home past Riffa goalkeeper Abdulkarim Al Fardan.

It proved to be enough to be the difference between the two sides after more than 100 minutes of open play, and East Riffa propelled themselves to the top of the league standings after improving to 12 points with their fourth win in six games.

Riffa tried valiantly to find an equaliser in the contest but could not finish.

They suffered just their first loss in five outings and stayed on 10 points.

In another match yesterday, Al Ahli pulled off a dramatic, last-gasp 3-2 win over Manama.

Mohammed Amin opened the scoring for Ahli with a header off a cross in the 14th minute.

But Manama equalised in the 21st through Facundo Agustin Tobares, who scored on a one-on-one with Ahli’s Ebrahim Luthfallah.

Ebrahim Al Khattal then put Manama ahead with an effort in the face of goal in the 32nd minute off a great pass from teammate Elvis Marley Aparecido Bittncourt.

But Abdulla Al Hashash was able to level the scores in the 67th minute, and then Abbas Jaafar Sabt scored the winner for Ahli in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time to come away with the win.

Ahli went to eight points following only their second win in six matches, while Manama suffered their third loss in six games and stayed on five.