Al Khaldiya win maiden King’s Cup - the richest national football tournament in Bahrain
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
Al Khaldiya were last night crowned champions of this year’s His Majesty the King’s Cup—the richest national football tournament in Bahrain. Khaldiya clinched the title following a narrow 4-3 victory in a heart-stopping penalty shootout over East Riffa, which wrapped up a tense and tightly contested final played at the National Stadium in Riffa. Regular time and extra time ended in a goalless deadlock.
The result earned Khaldiya their first-ever King’s Cup crown, which is also the team’s maiden championship at the top level of Bahrain football. The winners have presented the coveted trophy by National Guard Commander General His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Isa Al Khalifa.
Supreme Council for Youth and Sports first deputy chairman, General Sports Authority president and Bahrain Olympic Committee chief His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa was also on hand, along with Bahrain Football Association president Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa and other high-ranking sports officials. Along with the King’s Cup, Khaldiya came away with a staggering $200,000 in prize money.
The tense and tightly contested final was goalless at the end of regular and extra time. The result earned Khaldiya their first-ever King’s Cup crown, which is also the club’s maiden championship at the top level of Bahrain football.
East Riffa took home $80,000 as runners-up. Alawi made the title-deciding save against East Riffa’s Khalifa Allafi. Earlier in the shootout, Bahrain international striker Ismaeel Abdullatif gave Khaldiya a good start with a goal on their first attempt.
Hussain Al Khayyat replied for East Riffa. Sayed Dhiya Saeed and Mohammed Al Hardan were also on target for Khaldiya, while Laith Hashem and Nigerian Prince Obus Aggreh scored for East Riffa to forge a 3-3 tie. Khaldiya’s Mohammed Adel Abdulla then gave his team the 4-3 lead with a cool effort to the bottom-left corner of goal past East Riffa’s Hamad Aldoseri.
That set the stage for Alawi’s heroics. Both teams had multiple chances during regular and extra time to break the tie. Khaldiya’s Bahrain international midfielder Mahdi Humaidan came close in the 28th minute but his shot was just inches wide of the right post.
Omani teammate Munther Al Alawi then hit the side-netting four minutes later, and then Venezuelan Gelmin Javier Rivas Boada also had a shot marginally off target for Khaldiya in the 43rd minute.
In the first half of extra-time, East Riffa’s national team striker Sami Al Hossaini had a golden opportunity to score as he broke away from the Khaldiya defence for a one-on-one with Alawi.
But his shot was poorly hit and he appeared to have been taken down by Khaldiya’s Serbian centre-back Lazar Dordevic, although no foul was given, much to Al Hossaini’s dismay. With neither time finding the net after 120 minutes, the match headed into penalties.
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