FOOTBALL – RIFFA suffered a tough 0-1 defeat to Al Qadisiya of Kuwait last night in the 2024-25 AGCFF Gulf Club Champions League.
Moroccan Ismail Khafi scored the game’s lone goal to help lift his side to a home win at Mohammed Al Hamad Stadium in Kuwait City.
Khafi fired in the winner in the 28th minute off a pass from teammate Eid Al Rasheedi.
Riffa played the final half-hour of the contest with a one-man advantage after Qadisiya’s Athbi Shehab was sent off in the 54th minute. The Bahrainis could not capitalise on their opponents’ depleted line-up and suffered their second loss in four matches to stay on four points.
Riffa had previously drawn with Qadisiya 2-2 in their first meeting played in Bahrain. Qadisiya improved to five points and leapfrogged Riffa on the Group B table.
Riffa, coached by Hitham Jatal, have two games remaining in this stage of the competition. Both will be played in 2025 – first against Al Ettifaq of Saudi Arabia at home on February 5, and then against Al Arabi of Qatar in Doha on February 18.
The AGCFF Gulf Club Champions 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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