FOOTBALL – AL Malkiya and East Riffa completed the 12-club line-up last night for next season’s Nasser bin Hamad Bahrain Premier League.
Malkiya secured promotion from division two at the expense of now-relegated Hidd, whom they defeated 3-1 in their concluding play-off fixture yesterday at Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Isa Town. East Riffa, on the other hand, held on to their place in the top flight with a 2-0 victory against Al Ettihad at Shaikh Ali bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Stadium in Arad.
Both matches marked the end of the four-club play-offs, which filled the last two places in the 2024-25 premiership. Hidd and East Riffa needed to compete in the mini-tournament after finishing ninth and 10th, respectively, in this past season’s premier league, while Malkiya and Ettihad were in the fray as third and fourth-placers in the second division.
Malkiya have now joined division two champions Bahrain Club and runners-up A’ali as teams moving up to the higher tier of Bahraini football, while Hidd have been demoted along with Al Hala and Busaiteen. It is the first time since the introduction of this play-off format that three teams from the second division have been promoted.
Goals from Hussain Jaafar Haroona, Emmanuel Hammond and Isa Abdulwahab Al Bari lifted Malkiya to their triumph against Hidd.
Haroona was the first to strike following a blunder by Hidd goalkeeper Ali Khalifa in the 22nd minute. A long pass by Malkiya’s Gwain Chia Felix was intercepted and sent back to Khalifa by Hidd teammate Abdulla Al Ajmi, but Khalifa failed to control the back-pass. Haroona saw the opportunity and pounced, outsprinting his rival to the loose ball and tapping it home into an empty net.
Hidd drew level in the 38th minute when Ali Muneer struck from inside the box. He received a cross from Abdulla Al Subaie on the right, and with one touch fired in past Malkiya’s Mohammed Al Shaikh.
That sent the match into the break deadlocked, but it took just 12 minutes after the restart for Hammond to give Malkiya back the advantage. He scored with a chipped effort over Khalifa following a fine through-pass from Mohammed Nurat Fatiu.
Al Shaikh made a critical save for Malkiya off a Muneer attempt in the 83rd minute, preserving their lead, and then Al Bari put the game to bed in the 11th minute of second-half stoppage time after being left unmarked to attack the Hidd goal. An assist from Israa Amer sent him on his way, and he slotted home to apply the nail in the coffin.
Malkiya won for the second time to go undefeated in their three play-off matches. They had also beaten Ettihad and drew with East Riffa to capture their premiership berth.
Meanwhile, East Riffa’s Thiago Augusto and Jassim Khelaif were both on target in either half against Ettihad last night. Augusto scored in the 28th minute from an acute angle on the right of goal, while Khelaif sent home a penalty kick in the 67th to virtually ice the contest.
Like Malkiya, East Riffa wrapped up the play-offs unbeaten, also winning against Hidd after opening with their draw against Malkiya.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
&uuid=(email))