Al-Bataeh fell to Al-Hamriyah by the odd scoreline of 1:3 in the fifth round of the First Division on Thursday evening. The visitors came from behind to overturn what looked like a comfortable lead, and ended a barren spell with three second-half strikes. M. Ibrahim opened the scoring before Andrigo, M. Ibrahim, and Y. Ezzejjari took over.
It was M. Ibrahim who gave the hosts hope at the 23rd minute. To be fair, the home side looked sharper in the opening exchanges, winning more corners and keeping a higher percentage of possession. But they paid for a sloppy opening — the visitors equalised quickly and never looked back.
Andrigo pulled them level at the hour mark, and M. Ibrahim put Al-Hamriyah ahead eight minutes later. By then the home side was chasing shadows, and Y. Ezzejjari added a fourth to end the game as a contest. The hosts came from the dead only to be caught in possession at the wrong moment.
The statistics tell a different story from the result. Al-Bataeh had 59 per cent possession and 108 attacks, but managed only three shots on target. Al-Hamriyah, with 41 per cent possession, hit five shots on target and took advantage of their chances. It is not uncommon for teams to be outplayed yet still win — this was one of those days.
The result leaves Al-Bataeh third with seven points from four games, while Al-Hamriyah move up to eighth on six points. The home side had won two of their previous four, but cannot afford another slip if they want to stay in the mix. The visitors, meanwhile, picked up their second win in four matches.
We had backed the hosts at 86 per cent confidence. The match went another way entirely — Al-Hamriyah simply took their chances when it mattered, and Al-Bataeh could not respond. That is often how these games are decided: not in the possession figures, but in the moments that count.