Al Hala stunned Al Ahli 2-1 in their 11th round fixture of the 2023-24 Nasser Bin Hamad Premier League at the Bahrain National Stadium last night.
Al Ahli, who were second in the 12-team table with 18 points – behind leaders Riffa, who have 19 – were widely tipped to win the return encounter between the two teams with Al Hala, who were joint-eighth with Al Najma on 12 points each, not having won a game since early December.
But, after surviving an early scare in the 11th minute when Al Ahli’s Brazilian forward Wellington Machado Moreira’s powerful shot was saved by goalkeeper Ashraf Mubarak, it was Al Hala who took the lead just a minute later through their Ghanaian midfielder Ocran Idan.
He pounced on a bad pass from an Al Ahli defender near the box, ran into the penalty area from the right and fired the ball straight past goalkeeper Mohammed Yusuf’s outstretched left hand into the back of the net.
But Al Hala’s joy at having taken the lead was to be short-lived as, three minutes later, Moreira was brought down in their box with the referee awarding Al Ahli a penalty.
Midfielder Jamal Rashed stepped up to take it and coolly sent it over Mubarak’s desperate dive to the right into the net.
Both sides had opportunities later in the first half to score with neither being unable to capitalise before trooping off at half-time with the score tied 1-1.
Al Ahli came close to going 2-1 up 10 minutes into the second half but Moreira sent the ball wide to the right of the goal.
Penalty
Five minutes later, Al Hala had a chance to go ahead but their other Ghanaian import, centre-forward Daniel Asante’s powerful, right-footed kick sent the ball over the bar from the right.
In the 70th minute, Asante was brought down in the Al Ahli box by a brutal tackle and the referee awarded Al Hala a penalty without a second’s hesitation.
Mauritanian forward Mohamed Salem was given the task of converting it and he obliged, sending the ball into the right corner while Yusuf dived in the other direction.
Al Hala were now ahead 2-1 and, with just 20 minutes left till the end of regulation time, Al Ahli were under pressure.
And Al Hala almost made it 3-1 four minutes later but Asante’s right-footed effort sent the ball over the goal before Idan’s attempt from the left went straight into Yusuf’s midriff in the 77th minute.
Al Ahli had a golden opportunity to equalise in the 85th minute but Ali Brahima Doumbia, their defender from the Ivory Coast, headed the ball directly into Mubarak’s hands off a corner kick.
As the game ticked into seven minutes of stoppage time, Al Ahli intensified their efforts in search of the elusive equaliser but Al Hala managed to ward them off until the final whistle was blown.
Because of the defeat, Al Ahli remain second in the standings while the three points gained from the win push Al Hala up to joint-fifth position in the table with 15 points, drawing level with East Riffa and Al Najma, who beat Al Hidd, 4-2, at the Muharraq Stadium in the other 11th round fixture last night.
Ironically, Al Hidd, who remain in 11th place in the table, struck the first blow early in the game through an excellent opening goal by Brazilian forward Tallysson Lucas.
Al Hidd maintained their 1-0 lead through the first half but Al Najma managed to equalise early in the second through their Brazilian forward Ribeiro da Costa before taking the lead in the 62nd minute courtesy of French centre-forward Florian David.
Six minutes later, Al Najma led 3-1 after Mohammed Al Rumaihi netted a superb goal and, in the 84th minute, Abdullah Al Namer made it 4-1.
Al Hidd looked deflated by now but, with seven minutes of stoppage time added on, managed to score another goal in the 95th minute through Ali Mounir.
Tonight’s matches:
Manama vs Riffa at the Bahrain National Stadium. Kick-off at 7pm.
Busaiteen vs Al Shabab at the Muharraq Stadium. Kick-off at 7pm.
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