FOOTBALL – BAHRAIN’S Riffa were held to a 2-2 draw by Al Qadisiya of Kuwait last night in the 2024-25 AGCFF Gulf Club Champions League.
Algerian professional Samy Frioui netted a brace for the Bahrainis in the contest, played at Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Isa Town. He scored both his goals in the first half, in between the two Qadisiya strikes.
The Kuwaitis’ Moroccan import Ismail Khafi was first to strike in the 24th minute but Frioui opened Riffa’s account and drew level just seven minutes later.
Frioui was then on target once again on the stroke of half-time to put the home side in front heading into the break. But just as it appeared Riffa would come away with the full three points, Al Mutawa equalised with a free-kick from a yard outside the area and with only a minute remaining in regular time. That was enough to secure a share of the spoils for the Kuwaitis.
Last night’s encounter was the first time the two sides faced each other in Group B of the competition’s preliminary round. Riffa improved to four points on the table with one win, one draw, and one loss from their three games to date, while Qadisiya went to two markers with their second stalemate.
Riffa next fly to Kuwait City for their return match against Qadisiya on Wednesday. It will be their last fixture in the tournament this calendar year.
They resume their campaign in 2025 on February 5 at home against Ettifaq, before flying to Doha to wrap up their schedule against Arabi on February 18.
The league is organised and run by the Arabian Gulf Cup Football Federation (AGCFF) and it features eight teams in its inaugural season under its new format. Group A is composed of Al Nasr of the UAE, Ahli Sanaa of Yemen, Dhofar of Oman, and Duhok of Iraq.
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