Even on the day where it is announced that the European Championship and the Copa America will officially be pushed from 2020 to 2021, there are places across the globe where football is still being played.
In Brazil and Bahrain, two big derby games took place in the earlier this week, both with dramatic finishes. First, a fiery Campinas Derby between Guarani and Ponte Preta. Later, Al Muharraq and Al Riffa squared off in the most classic show-off Bahrain has to offer.
Campeonato Paulista A1
On Sunday, the Brazilian Football Confederation announced the suspension of all football activities, starting Tuesday, March 17. In one of the country’s final games before shutting down, Guarani and Ponte Preta squared off in a match-day 10 duel of the Paulistão - São Paulo state’s top league.
There is no love lost between the two sides, as they both hail from the city of Campinas and are long time rivals. Both play in the second tier, but have contrasting fortunes in this Paulista tournament - Guarani entered the game sitting second in Group D , ahead of powerhouse Corinthians. Ponte Preta are at the bottom of Group A.
This edition of the Derbi Campineiro was played in front of an empty stadium due to the coronavirus situation. Guarani won the city bragging rights for the first time since 2012, and in dramatic fashion - Ponte Preta raced to a 2-0 lead, as central defender Alisson headed home the first, and journeyman striker Roger added a second in a penalty. However, the second half belonged to Guarani: In the 56th minute, an amazing bicycle kick by Lucas Crispim was turned in by Todinho Junior. In the final 10 minutes, nice-worked goals by Juninho and Thallyson completed the comeback for a 3-2 win.
After the final whistle, Roger was sent off after an altercation with Guarani goalkeeper Ivan. This sparked an all-out brawl between the two teams, who had to be separated by the referees and staff members. A sense of normality has been kept, at least in the Campinas Derby.
Bahrain - Premier League
In Bahrain, business is currently going on as usual. In the last game of match-day 11, Al Muharraq faced off against Al Riffa for the league’s historically biggest fixture. The contest took place at the Khalifa Sports City stadium in Isa Town, without fans in attendance. The two sides are the must successful in Bahraini football history, as Muharraq have won the majority of the league titles and even gaining continental fame after claiming the 2008 AFC Cup. However, Al Riffa are the league’s reigning champions.
Al Muharraq entered the contest with a nine game winning streak, and eleven undefeated in all competitions - dating back to mid-December. They also knew that a win would take them top of the table, ahead of Al Hidd. Al Riffa started the match-day on 4th, hoping to jump ahead of city rivals East Riffa in third.
In what promised to be a multi-goal thriller, as both teams are the division’s top scorers, the teams settled for a dramatic 1-1 draw. The visiting Al Riffa drew an early first blood in the 13th minute as young Mohamed Marhoon scored after a nice solo move inside the box. Muharraq pressed to get an equalizer, and had possession for long periods of the game. Brazilian midfielder Tiago, who arrived from the aforementioned Ponte Preta, was denied in the 78th minute by the crossbar.
In the first minute of stoppage time, they finally found the breakthrough: Defender Abdulla Yasser received the ball on the left flank, hit a great shot from outside the box that found the top corner, breaking the visitor’s hearts. Muharraq piled the pressure in the remaining minutes, almost securing a winning goal, but ultimately settled for a draw.