Barbar, Al Ahli advance to league final

TDT | Manama

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Al Ahli and Barbar booked their places in the final of the 2025–26 Khalid bin Hamad Bahrain Handball League yesterday after dramatic semi-final victories at Khalifa Sports City in Isa Town.

Ahli overcame Al Shabab 35– 33 on penalties after a 31–31 draw in regulation time, while Barbar edged defending champions Al Najma 25–24 in a last-gasp finish. Both finalists completed 2–0 sweeps in their best-of-three series.

Ahli and Shabab opened the night with a tense battle. Ahli led 3–2 by the sixth minute and extended their advantage to 6–4, but Shabab responded strongly to move ahead 11–8 before taking a 14–9 lead into halftime after intercepting an Ali Eid pass and scoring on the fast break.

Shabab continued to fight in the second half despite losing Abdulla Al Salatneh to injury early after the restart. Midway through the half, they overturned a five-goal deficit to lead 22–21 and later scored twice in quick succession to move two goals ahead with under three minutes remaining.

Ahli responded through Ali Eid, who converted a crucial free throw to level the game before goalkeeper Hussain Mahfooz produced a last-second save from Jassim Khamis to force shootouts.

In the shootout, Ali Merza opened for Ahli before Jassim Khamis missed Shabab’s first attempt wide of the post. Qassim Qambar converted Ahli’s second throw, while Mahfooz later denied Al Salatneh with another key save. Mohammed Hameed added Ahli’s fourth successful throw before Yousif Ahmed calmly converted the winning attempt to seal a 35–33 triumph and send Ahli through to the final. Mahfooz was named MVP for his impressive goalkeeping.

Later in the evening, Barbar overcame defending champions Najma in another closely contested clash.

Salman Al Showaikh levelled the score at 4-4 early in the first half after cutting in from the right wing, while Barbar goalkeeper Isa Khalaf made a crucial save moments later to preserve a narrow 6-5 lead. Najma held a 16–15 halftime lead before the second half became a back-andforth battle.

Barbar moved ahead 22–21, but Najma regained the lead at 24–23 entering the closing stages. Barbar equalised in the 29th minute before Khalaf made another close-range save in the final seconds to preserve parity.

Moments later, Hassan Al Fardan scored the winner after battling inside the goal area to receive the ball and finish in the dying seconds. The goal sparked celebrations as Barbar continue their pursuit of a seventh league title. Khalaf was named MVP after his extraordinary display in goal.