Al Hidaya Al Khalifia and Shaikh Isa bin Ali schools battle to thrilling 2-2 draw in Nasser bin Hamad Football Tournament

TDT | Manama                                                   

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Al Hidaya Al Khalifia Secondary School for Boys and Shaikh Isa bin Ali Secondary School for Boys played out a dramatic 2-2 draw in their Group 3 match in the Nasser bin Hamad Football Tournament for Secondary Schools, held at Al Ittihad club.

Both teams arrived at the match on six points and had already booked their place in the quarterfinals, but Shaikh Isa bin Ali School needed a victory to progress to the second round as group leaders, while Al Hidaya had to draw or win to finish on top of the group.

Being held under the patronage of HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Representative of HM the King for Humanitarian Works and Youth Affairs, and organised by the Ministry of Education, the tournament is backed by the platinum sponsor the National Bank of Bahrain (NBB), while the gold sponsors are ELM Education Fund, GMI, Ahli United Bank (AUB), First Motors.

The bronze sponsors are Sara Group, Engineer Transportation Company, Be Sport, the Palace Project, Bahrain Cinema (Cineco), Kuwait Finance House, Planera Holding, and Mena Company.

Alayam newspaper is the media sponsor of the competition.

The game between Al Hidaya team and Shaikh Isa bin Ali team was marked by intense competition, excellent organisation on the field, tactical discipline, and a display of technical skills and individual brilliance from the players.

Mahdi Abdullah Hassan opened the scoring for Shaikh Isa bin Ali School with a penalty kick just before halftime.

However, Al Hidaya mounted a strong comeback in the second half, scoring two goals within 14 minutes.

Ali Abdulridha and Saif Abdullah were the goal scorers, with the latter converting a penalty kick.

But the determined Shaikh Isa bin Ali School team produced a strong performance to avoid defeat, and substitute Mohammed Masood equalised with a spectacular goal, dribbling past several players and placing the ball in the top corner.

Mahdi Abdullah Hassan was named the man of the match for his outstanding performance.

In another match at the Ahli club, the French School secured an impressive victory over the New Vision School with a commanding 10-0 scoreline.

The French School’s dominant performance earned them 3 points and secured them the third position in the group. Unfortunately, the New Vision School ended their tournament without earning any points, finishing in fourth place.

Ahmed Shakir Slimi from the French School was named the man of the match for his exceptional contribution, including a remarkable super hat-trick.