Al Khaldiya Leave It Late to Reclaim Summit

Al Khaldiya returned to the top of the Nasser Bin Hamad Premier League table yesterday after a dramatic 1-0 win over Al Shabab, settled by a 90th-minute strike from substitute Mohammed Al Romaihi. The victory was achieved despite the absence of Anas Ouahim, one of the team’s main attacking threats.

In a contest short on clear-cut chances, both sides initially struggled to break each other down. Al Khaldiya, under Tunisian head coach Lassad Al Chabbi, controlled possession for long periods and fashioned the better openings, but found Al Shabab disciplined and compact in defence.

Al Shabab, led by Mohammed Almuqla, battled hard despite their position at the foot of the table. They limited space between the lines and threatened occasionally on the counter, yet rarely tested goalkeeper Ricardo Silva in a meaningful way.

The breakthrough arrived at the death. After a failed clearance by the Al Shabab defence, Al Romaihi was played through in space and timed his run to perfection to avoid the offside trap. The Bahrain international, introduced from the bench, showed composure as he ran in behind and struck a low left-footed finish into the far corner.

There was a lengthy VAR check for offside, adding to the tension inside the stadium, but the goal was eventually confirmed, prompting relief among the Al Khaldiya players and bench.

The result lifts Al Khaldiya to 33 points, level with Muharraq but back at the summit courtesy of their superior head-to-head record. Muharraq sit second on the same points tally, while Riffa remain in contention just behind.

For Al Shabab, the defeat leaves them rooted to the bottom in 12th place with six points, as their difficult season continues.

League action continues today with Al Ahli facing A’ali at 7pm at Shaikh Ali bin Mohammed Stadium. Matchday 14 concludes on Saturday when Al Najma meet Sitra at 4:45pm at the same venue, before Bahrain Club take on Budaiya at 7pm at Khalifa Sports City.