Ahli are HM the King’s Cup champions!

TDT | Manama                                                      

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Al Ahli were last night crowned champions of the 2023/2024 His Majesty the King’s Cup.

Ahli won the prestigious football tournament—Bahrain’s richest annual competition in the sport—after defeating Muharraq 4-2 on penalties in a thrilling final, played at the National Stadium in Riffa.

The match had ended deadlocked at 1-1 after extra-time. Ahli and Bahrain national team goalkeeper Ebrahim Luthfallah was the hero of the shootout.

He saved both of Muharraq’s first two attempts to put them in a favourable position to secure the contest and end Ahli’s more-than-20-year title drought in the tournament.

His Majesty the King’s humanitarian work and youth affairs representative His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa attended the decider along with a number of other high-ranking officials.

HH Shaikh Nasser presented both teams their respective awards alongside Bahrain Football Association president Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.

With the result, Ahli came away with the HM the King’s Cup for the sixth time in the history of the competition.

The previous other years Ahli won were 2003, 2001, 1991, 1987, and 1982. Ahli also won BD100,000 in prize money allocated to the champions, while Muharraq took home BD50,000 as runners-up.

Ahli’s Wellington Machado Moreira and Muharraq’s Hussain Abdulkarim were on target for their sides during regular time, but neither team could find a winner in the additional 30 minutes.

In the shootout, with Muharraq going first, Luthfallah came up big and stopped the efforts of both Ahmed Al Sherooqi and Soufian Mahrouq.

Ahli, on the other hand, converted both their opening spot kicks, with skipper Abbas Ayyad first to score and then Mohammed Alshamsi giving them a 2-0 advantage. Waleed Alkaroui finally put Muharraq on the board, but Geovane Silva Santos was on target for Ahli for a 3-1 lead.

Waleed Al Hayyam scored again Muharraq, but Sayed Qassim Ahmed put an end to the contest with his strike and Ahli’s fourth of the shootout.

Perfect

Earlier in the game, Ahli were first on the scoresheet with Wellington giving them a perfect start in the seventh minute.

He fired in with a left -footed strike from the right of the box after receiving a long pass from beyond the half-field line from Abbas Al Asfoor.

After evading the defence of Muharraq’s Hassan Al Karani and Al Hayyam, Moreira unleashed a curling effort that flew into the top-left corner of goal past opposing goalkeeper Sayed Mohammed Jaafar.

Abdulla Al Hashash came close to doubling Ahli’s advantage in the 40th minute, but his shot from close range off a short cross from Hassan Madan went inches wide of the right post.

A Feras Chawat shot for Muharraq a minute before half-time hit the outer right wall of the net, and then a powerful effort by Zahir Al Aghbari the very next minute was on target but was parried away by an in-form Luthfallah. The match headed into the half-time break with Ahli holding the slim, single-goal lead.

In the 63rd minute, Al Asfoor had a volley from the outside edge of the box that was brilliantly saved by a diving Jaafar.

In the 81st minute, Moreira could have put the game away.

He had a one-on-one against Jaafar, with Al Hayyam chasing closely to give him some pressure.

The Muharraq and Bahrain international defender did his job well, forcing Moreira into a tough shot that Jaafar calmly collected.

Muharraq then made Ahli pay, and Abdulkarim equalised with just five minutes left in regular time.

Karani supplied a long cross from the left wing, which came off the head of Ahli’s Ali Brahima Doumbia in an effort to clear.

The ball instead went straight to Abdulkarim in the face of goal, and he tapped it in with an outstretched right leg.

In the first half of extra-time, a headed back-pass by Ahli substitute Mohammed Shubar was almost intercepted by Chawat, but Luthfallah was able to make a challenge just in time.

In the second minute of extra-time’s second-half, Abdulkarim had a header off an Abdulla Al Khulasi cross go narrowly past the wrong side of the left post.

Then, in the 115th minute, Muharraq’s Al Sherooqi unleashed a low free-kick that was on target but Luthfallah was up to the challenge and he punched the ball away, setting the stage for the shootout.