Muharraq Begin Title Defence in Style

Defending champions Muharraq began their Nasser Bin Hamad Bahrain Premier League campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win over long-time rivals Al Ahli at Shaikh Ali Bin Mohammed Stadium. The result set an early marker for Muharraq, who are in the hunt for their 35th league title.

After the match, Muharraq head coach Nandinho stressed the importance of starting strongly. “It was important for us to win the first match. It’s always vital to give confidence to the team. We’ll have six games in 25 days, so it’s important to get in the habit of winning if we want to defend our title,” he said. “The Champions League is next and we need to be ready for that. The first match is always cagey, but after the first goal it makes things easier and opens spaces. We deserved the win, but the scoreline was harsh on Al Ahli.”

Juninho at the Double

The deadlock was broken on the stroke of half-time after Al Ahli’s Mehdi Sharaf was sent off for bringing down Soufiane Mahrouk at the edge of the area. Juninho stepped up to convert the penalty and hand Muharraq a deserved lead heading into the interval.

Arthur Rezende doubled the advantage shortly after the restart with a debut goal. A flowing team move carved open the Al Ahli defence, leaving the Brazilian midfielder one-on-one with Ricardo Silva, and he calmly slotted into the bottom corner.

Juninho later struck his second of the night to complete the scoring. Elliot Simoes dazzled on the left flank, beating his marker with stepovers before delivering a low cross to the far post, where Juninho applied the finishing touch.

Muharraq goalkeeper Ebrahim Lutfalla, facing his former club after moving from Al Ahli at the start of the year, kept a clean sheet and was relatively untroubled for much of the game.

Al Ahli coach Mohamed Nasif reflected on the result, pointing to key absences and the penalty that shifted the game’s momentum. “The scenario of the match can be explained by our injuries and missing players, and how the game changed with the early penalty,” he said.

Khaldiya Scrape Past A’ali

At the National Stadium, Al Khaldiya got their season off to a winning start with a 1-0 win over A’ali. The contest remained goalless at the break before captain Dominique Mendy produced the decisive moment in the 55th minute.

Mohammed Adel’s determination down the right flank kept the ball in play despite heavy pressure, and his floated delivery into the box found Mendy unmarked. The Senegalese defender powered in a low header to seal the points.

More Action Ahead

Week one continues this evening with two fixtures. At Shaikh Ali Bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Stadium, Al Shabab face Budaiya, while Al Najma go up against Riffa at Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Isa Town. Both matches are scheduled for 7pm kick-offs.

The 2025-26 season will be played in a double round-robin format. The first round runs through to the 11th week, starting January 8, before the league resumes with another 11 match weeks, dates still to be announced.