Ahli, Hala claim tight wins

TDT | Manama                                                        

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Al Ahli and Al Hala both claimed narrow victories last night in their week eight matches of the 2023/2024 Nasser bin Hamad Bahrain Premier Football League. Ahli took care of Hidd 1-0 to go to the top of the league table, while Hala upset heavily favoured East Riffa with a similar 1-0 score line.

In Ahli’s hard-earned win, Hasan Madan supplied the winning strike just before the half-time whistle. Madan scored for Ahli in the 42nd minute, assisted by a fine throughpass on the right wing from teammate Gustavo Dos Santos Cabral.

Madan confidently charged towards goal and scored from an acute angle past Hidd goalkeeper Ali Khalifa Abdulla. Hidd tried valiantly to level the contest but Ahli did enough to come away with the full three points, and Madan’s goal proved enough to separate the two sides.

Ahli came away with their fourth win in eight games and rose to 14 points to go atop the league standings. Hidd were dealt their fifth defeat and stayed on seven points in the bottom half of the rankings.

Meanwhile, in Hala’s triumph, Daniel Asante scored the game’s lone goal with a penalty in the second half. Hala were awarded their spot kick after Francisco Nelson Simbine was taken down in the box by East Riffa goalkeeper Eyad Nasser Salem.

Asante stepped forward to take the 54th minute shot, and he made no mistake with his effort which he sent into the bottom-left corner of the net. Hala goalkeeper Godwill Chia Ndang played a key role late on in his team’s win, while East Riffa were also unlucky, having hit the framework in the closing minutes as they stepped up their search for an equaliser.

With the result, Hala improved to 12 points after posting their fourth win in eight matches to go with four losses. East Riffa, on the other hand, who were tied atop the league table on points, suffered their third loss and stayed on 13.

League action continues tonight with another two matches on schedule, both scheduled for 7pm kick-offs at separate venues. Sitra take on Al Shabab in one game while the other will be a titanic clash between defending champions Al Khaldiya and top-contenders Riffa. Both of this evening’s fixtures wrap up the eighth week of play in the league.