FOOTBALL – MOROCCAN striker Anouar Frindi scored a sensational hat-trick to lift Al Ettifaq to a 3-0 victory over Malkiya last night while leaders Riffa were held to a 2-2 stalemate by Al Najma as the seventh week of action kicked off in the 2026-27 Nasser bin Hamad Bahrain Premier Football League.
Frindi was on target twice in the second half as he spearheaded Ettifaq to their resounding triumph at Al Ahli Club Stadium in Mahooz.
Riffa, on the other hand, squandered a two-goal advantage with Jean Sales de Souza Freire supplying Najma’s equaliser in the 65th minute as the two teams came away with a share of the spoils at Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Isa Town.
Following both results, Riffa stayed in first place on the table but Ettifaq follow just a point behind.
The seventh round of league action continues today and tomorrow with two games each evening. Tonight, Manama and Al Khaldiya face off at Khalifa Sports City Stadium while Al Ahli go up against East Riffa at the National Stadium in Riffa, with both fixtures scheduled to kick off at 6pm.
Tomorrow, two-time defending champions Muharraq lock horns with Sitra at Khalifa Sports City Stadium at 6pm, and A’ali face off with Hidd at Ahli Stadium at 7pm.
In Ettifaq’s victory yesterday, Frindi opened their account in the 11th minute after tapping in from the face of goal off a cross from teammate Mohammed Abdulqayoom.
After the re-start, Frindi needed just two minutes to add his second when he fired in from an acute angle after an earlier shot from teammate Hasan Mohamed Abdo was stopped by Malkiya goalkeeper Sayed Ali Husain.
Frindi then received a pass from countryman Abdelghafour Mehri on the right of the area, before creating enough space to squeeze the ball into the bottom-right corner of the net.
Malkiya were reduced to 10 men in the 58th minute when Omar Abdulbaset Alshamari was given a direct red card for a foul on Abdo. Ettifaq took advantage and Frindi completed his hat-trick in the 65th minute with a fine volley off a pass from Yassir Imrani.
Ettifaq, who were last season’s Bahrain First Division champions, secured their impressive fourth win after seven tries in their debut campaign in the kingdom’s top flight to improve to 14 points.
Malkiya suffered their fifth defeat and remained on two markers in last place.
Meanwhile, Riffa stayed ahead of Ettifaq on the standings with their draw against Najma.
Wellington Moreira put Riffa in front in the ninth minute with a goal from inside the box following a fine through pass from Mahdi Abduljabbar.
He then completed his brace just two minutes later after intercepting a poor back pass from Najma’s Brazilian import Daniel de Oliveira de Sousa and then slotting home from close range against Najma custodian and captain Ammar Mohammed.
But Najma got one back right away in the 13th minute when Brazilian Carlos Alberto Gulmares Filho fired in following a blunder by Riffa’s Husain Al Eker, who easily gave away possession near his penalty box.
Najma then drew level with less than a half-hour remaining when Freire scored with a free-kick from around 30 yards out. His stunning left-footed effort flew straight into goal, flying past Riffa’s Lithuanian goalkeeper Dziugas Bartkus, who had no chance.
Right before the end of regulation Najma lost Brazilian Rickson Barbosa de Conceicao who was given his marching orders.
Riffa registered their third standoff as they improved to 15 points, while Najma rose to mid-table as one of four teams with eight markers.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh