Riffa go top with win

TDT | Manama                                                      

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Riffa climbed back atop the table last night in the 2023/2024 Nasser bin Hamad Bahrain Premier Football League.

Riffa returned to the number one spot following a 2-0 victory over Al Hala in their week 16 clash, played at the National Stadium in Riffa.

Mohammed Anz and substitute Vinicius Vargas Dos Santos were on target for the victors in the second half of the match.

Anz’s header and Dos Santos’s late effort gave Riffa the full three points, helping them leapfrog defending champions Al Khaldiya to the top of the standings, going one point ahead of their chief title rivals.

Also victorious last night were contenders Muharraq, who claimed a resounding 3-0 win over Al Shabab, while East Riffa were held to a 1-1 stalemate by Hidd.

In Riffa’s win, Anz was on target in the 57th minute off a chipped pass supplied by teammate Ali Hassan Saeed. Anz met the short cross from the right of the box in the face of goal, and he made no mistake with his header.

Later, Dos Santos supplied Riffa’s second in the seventh minute of second-half stoppage time following a brilliant through pass from Abdulaziz Al Mansouri.

He was released for a one-on-one with Hala goalkeeper Godwill Chia Ndang, whom he chipped the ball over into goal.

With the result, Riffa improved to 31 points following their ninth win in 16 outings.

They are now ahead of Khaldiya, who have a game in hand.

Riffa handed Hala their ninth loss and they stayed on 19 markers.

Penalty In Muharraq’s victory, they opened their account on the stroke of half-time with a penalty by Hussain Abdulkarim, who was taken down in the box in the play leading up to the spot kick.

Muharraq then went 2-0 ahead four minutes after the restart through Ahmed Al Sherooqi.

The young Bahrain international scored after tapping in from close range from the sixyard box.

Muharraq were then rolling and they fired in their third just three minutes later.

Abdulwahab Al Malood was on target, tapping in unmarked from the face of goal Sufyan Al Mahrouq.

Muharraq went to 28 points on the standings with their seventh victory, while Shabab suffered their seventh defeat and remained on 17 points.

In last night’s third affair, Hidd struck late to forge the 1-1 draw after East Riffa led for most of the match.

East Riffa went in front after only minute minutes with brilliant turning shot from Sami Al Hussaini.

But in the 90th minute, Hidd’s Abdulla Al Ajami hit a rocket from nearly 30 yards out and into the top-right corner of the net to salvage a share of the points.

It was a game between the league’s two bottom sides, and each improved to 16 points but remained amongst the last three.

League action continues tonight with three more matches on the cards, all kicking off at 7pm.

Khaldiya will be looking to return to the top of the standings when they face off with Manama, while Al Ahli go up against bottom-of-the-table Busaiteen and Al Najma play Sitra.