FOOTBALL – BAHRAIN’S Riffa came away with a crucial 2-1 victory over Al Ettifaq of Saudi Arabia last night to keep their semi-final hopes alive in the 2024-25 AGCFF Gulf Club Champions League.
Venezuelan professional Jean Fuentes Velasco made up for an own goal early in the second half with the winning header 20 minutes from full time.
Brazilian Vinicius Vargas Dos Santos had earlier put the Bahrainis ahead with a strike at the half-hour mark.
The result earned Riffa three crucial points following their penultimate fixture in Group B of the competition’s preliminary round. They are battling for second place on the table in order to secure a spot in the tournament’s last four.
Riffa improved to seven points following their second win in five games but stayed one point behind Al Qadsia of Kuwait, who were 3-0 winners over Al Arabi of Qatar in last night’s other divisional fixture played at Mohammad Al Hamad Stadium in Kuwait City.
Ettifaq stayed in first place with 12 points despite their first loss last night, while Arabi are in last place with just one point after suffering their fourth defeat to go with one draw.
Only one matchday remains in Group B. It is scheduled for February 18, when Riffa travel to Doha to take on Arabi and Ettifaq host Qadsia in Dammam. Those games will determine the final rankings in their division and the team that will join Ettifaq in the semis. Riffa need nothing less than a victory and must hope that Qadsia drop points in order to march through.
Group A in the preliminaries is composed of Al Nasr of the UAE, Ahli Sanaa of Yemen, Dhofar of Oman, and Duhok of Iraq.
In yesterday’s clash at Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Isa Town, Riffa took the lead in the 30th minute when Dos Santos scored from an acute angle following a fine through-pass from countryman Wellington Machado Moreira.
Ettifaq’s Majed Mohammed Dawran had a great chance to equalise on the stroke of half-time but was marginally off target with an effort from the face of goal.
After the restart, Ettifaq drew level in the 55th minute with Velasco’s error. In an effort to clear a cross delivered by Ettifaq’s Abdulaziz Saud Alelewai from the right wing, Velasco inadvertently guided the ball into his own net.
He later made up for his gaffe, however, with his 70th minute heroics. Velasco sent in the winning goal with a stunning header off a Moreira corner-kick to give Riffa back the lead. Both teams tried to add to the score line over the remainder of the contest but neither could find the finishing touches to their chances.
Riffa, coached by Carlos Inarejos Hernandez of Spain, are the lone Bahraini representatives in this year’s competition, which is in the inaugural edition in its new format.
The AGCFF Gulf Club Champions League is organised and run by the Arabian Gulf Cup Football Federation (AGCFF) and it features eight teams.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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