Muharraq to meet Al Ahli or Al Ettifaq in Final 4

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Manama: The King’s Cup, Bahrain’s premier football competition, saw Riffa secure a place in the semi-finals with a comfortable 4–1 victory over Bahrain Club, while Muharraq’s quarter-final against Al Ahli and Al Ettifaq went into extra time. With the TDT deadline passed, Muharraq will face either side in the semi-final, pending the final result.

At Khalifa Sports City, seven-time winners Riffa (1972/73, 1984/85, 1985/86, 1997/98, 2009/10, 2018/19, 2020/21) looked every bit the side chasing silverware, aiming to add to the Khalid bin Hamad Cup they won earlier this season. They dominated from the first whistle against two-time winners Bahrain Club (1970, 1971). Inside the opening minute, Serbian forward Dejan Georgijevic raced down the right and slotted a composed finish into the bottom corner. Bahrain Club, who have not beaten Riffa in their last ten meetings, struggled to regain rhythm as the Sky Blues controlled possession and probed relentlessly.

In the 30th minute, a slick move on the right saw Wellington Moreira loft a measured ball into the box, where Samuel Toscas backheeled it into the path of Ali Madan, who doubled the lead. Six minutes later, Georgijevic completed his brace after a defensive lapse, calmly placing the ball into the net. Riffa made it 4–0 in the 63rd minute when substitutes combined perfectly: Sayed Redha Isa delivered a low cross that Ebrahim Al Khattal volleyed home. Bahrain Club pulled one back in the 76th minute via an own goal from Ali Haram, but Riffa’s dominance was never in doubt, and the Sky Blues advanced 4–1.

Meanwhile, at Bahrain National Stadium, nine-time King’s Cup winners Al Ahli (1959/60, 1967/68, 1976/77, 1981/82, 1986/87, 1990/91, 2000/01, 2002/03, 2023/24) faced First Division leaders Al Ettifaq in a tense, end-to-end contest. Al Ettifaq took the lead in the 12th minute through Mauritanian winger Ahmed Koory, but Al Ahli equalised from a penalty in the 20th minute, converted by Abdulla AlHashash. Seven minutes later, Victor Gabriel tapped in Joao Victor Coutinho’s low cross to put Al Ahli ahead. Despite rattling the crossbar twice and producing a sensational scorpion-kick effort saved by Sayed Shubbar Alawi, Al Ettifaq forced a dramatic 2–2 equaliser in the last minute through a penalty from Moroccan Abdelghafour Mehri.

With the quarter-finals concluded, Muharraq will face either Al Ahli or Al Ettifaq in one semi-final, while Al Khaldiya meet Riffa in the other, completing the line-up for the final four of this year’s King’s Cup.