Lutfalla the Hero as Muharraq Hold Riffa

TDT | Manama

Email : hussainm@newsofbahrain.com

Week 5 of the Nasser bin Hamad Premier League produced fireworks as Muharraq and Riffa played out a fascinating 1-1 draw, while Al Khaldiya blew past Bahrain SC 4-0 to get their season back on track. Ebrahim Lutfalla’s heroics in goal kept Muharraq in the game, while Moroccan Saifeddine Bouhra’s brilliance powered Khaldiya and marked him as a player to watch this season.

At Khalifa Sports City Stadium, Soufiane Mahrouk looked set to give Muharraq an early lead after being brought down in the box, but the referee controversially waved away the penalty. In the 25th minute, Mahrouk was fouled again—this time by Samuel Conceicao—and Edimar Ribeiro da Costa “Juninho” calmly converted from the spot, continuing his fine start to the season. Riffa responded almost immediately through Mahmood AlMoosawi’s towering header from Wellington Moreira’s corner, setting up a tense finale.

Controversy and Drama

The tension hit fever pitch in stoppage time. Riffa were awarded a ninth-minute added-time penalty after Youssef Ben Souda was held back by Ahmed Rabeea. Ben Souda’s first attempt was brilliantly saved by Muharraq goalkeeper Ebrahim Lutfalla. When the penalty was ordered to be retaken, controversy erupted within Riffa’s ranks. Ben Souda wanted to take it again, but Rodrigo Yuri insisted on stepping up, delaying the restart as tempers flared. The indecision cost precious seconds, and Yuri’s strike was also saved, leaving Muharraq to celebrate a hardearned point.

Post-Match Reactions

Lutfalla spoke after the game with humility and confidence, saying “Alhamdulilah, a point is better than nothing. People will say saving penalties is down to luck, but they should see my record from last season”. Nandinho, Muharraq’s coach, added: “The first penalty was very soft, but these are the games where our heroes make the difference.” Teammate AlHardan didn’t mince words either, calling Lutfalla “the best keeper in the Gulf”.

Khaldiya Respond in Style

After a shaky start to the season and last week’s defeat, Khaldiya bounced back in style, with Moroccan Saifeddine Bouhra at the heart of everything. Moussa Coulibaly opened the scoring in the 29th minute with a glancing header after Bouhra ignited the move. Just after halftime, Joel Beya doubled the lead with a precise header from another Bouhra delivery. Mohammed Romaihi made it three with a sharp near-post finish, before Bouhra capped the rout late on with a superb strike off the post, having created the move himself.

Sunday’s fixtures promise plenty of intrigue, with Malkiya chasing the chance to leapfrog Riffa and Al Ahli aiming to claim vital points against Al Shabab. Today, Budaiya take on Sitra at 4:35pm at Khalifa Sports City, followed by Al Hidd hosting Al Najma at 7pm at Shaikh Ali bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Stadium.