East Riffa — Al-Hidd, Premier League

Al-Hidd beat Al-Riffa 2-0 in the opening match of the Premier League regular season on Thursday evening. The visitors took the lead just before half-time when Bellatreche struck in the forty-fifth minute. S. Frioui added a second goal in the seventy-third to seal the result.

Al-Riffa pressed forward but could not find the net. They registered four shots on target with seven more going off target. Six corners came their way as they sought an equaliser.

Al-Hidd were more clinical with their chances. They managed four shots on target from just two attempts off target. To be fair, they controlled the tempo better than the statistics might suggest.

The visitors held 51 per cent possession while Al-Riffa had 49. Both sides produced similar numbers of attacks, ninety-five for Al-Hidd and ninety-two for the hosts. And here's the thing — the match was decided by moments, not sustained pressure.

Al-Riffa picked up three yellow cards compared to one for Al-Hidd. Five offsides were called against the hosts while only two offsides were flagged for the visitors.

Al-Riffa sit tenth in the table with zero points from one game. Al-Hidd occupy third place with three points after their first win of the season.