FOOTBALL – Al Najma posted a resounding, come-from-behind 3-1 victory over A’ali last night to climb back to second place on the table at the end of week eight in the 2024-25 Nasser Bin Hamad Bahrain Premier League.
After conceding a goal in the first five minutes, Najma roared back and had three different players get their names onto the score sheet at Shaikh Ali Bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Stadium in Arad.
Syrian Mohammad Almarmour and Yacouba Ichiaka Diarra were both on target for the winners in the first half, and then Omar Saber applied the nail in the coffin minutes after the break.
Najma came away with their fifth triumph in eight matches with the result. They improved to 16 points – just one behind solo league leaders Muharraq.
Meanwhile, in last night’s other fixture at Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Isa Town, Al Shabab defeated Manama 2-0.
Moroccan Nizar El Otmani and Faisal Abudahoom were Shabab’s goal scorers in the win, which was only their third so far this season.
Last night’s games wrapped up the eighth round of action this season. Week nine is scheduled to be held from Thursday to Saturday later this week.
In Najma’s victory last night, A’ali got off to a great start when English professional Layton Julius Ndukwu took advantage of a mistake from their rivals in the fifth minute.
A back-pass by Tunisian defender Ayoub Binsalahuddin Tlili went unclaimed by Najma teammates Mohamed Salah Matar and goalkeeper Mahmood Alajmi following some costly miscommunication. The ball rolled past them towards goal, and Ndukwu needed only to guide the ball into an empty net.
But Najma quickly made amends for that error and drew level through Almarmour in the 21st minute. Almarmour hit a brilliant low shot from several yards outside the box that bounced off the pitch and past A’ali goalkeeper Sayed Shubbar Alawi.
Najma then doubled their advantage only six minutes later when Diarra headed home off a corner kick delivered by teammate Jumai Jallow. Diarra rose above a group of players who challenged for the ball in the air, and headed into the top-left corner.
Najma then virtually sealed the full three points in the 51st minute when Saber fired in from close range. He did well to fight off a pair of A’ali defenders, charged into the box, and slotted past Alawi from an acute angle on the right of the area.
Najma returned to their position in second on the table with the result, while handing A’ali their sixth loss in eight games, staying on four points in second-to-last place.
In yesterday’s other fixture, Shabab powered ahead in the 68th minute when El Otmani scored from close range off a fine assist by Portuguese teammate Rafael Vicente Ferreira Santos.
Abudahoom then scored Shabab’s second in a one-on-one with Manama goalkeeper Redha Bahram Ghuloom in the first minute of second-half stoppage time.
Shabab went to 11 points with the victory, while Manama suffered their fifth loss and stayed on five markers.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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