Match Report
The table gap was wide: 34 points between Al Riffa (2nd, 44 pts) and Al Ittihad (16th, 10 pts). Al Riffa ranked just 10th in the league on five-round form despite their 2nd table position. Scoring rates set the scale: Al Riffa 2.83 scored and 0.61 conceded per game, Al Ittihad 0.89 and 2.28, with the league averaging 1.56.
Momentum sat with Al Riffa, winners of their last four.
The venue was Stād al-Bahrayn al-Watanī in Riffa, with room for 35,580 spectators. On the scoreboard, it was 0-0 at the break; 1 second-half goal set the final 1-0.