Angolan winger Simões leads Al Muharraq to Bahrain King’s Cup triumph

Angolan international winger Elliot Simões has won the 2025/26 Bahrain King’s Cup with Al Muharraq SC. In the final game played at Bahrain National Stadium, Al Muharraq won the title after overcoming Al Riffa 2–1 in a fiercely contested match.

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Simões started the match as a right winger and it was Al Riffa who took an early lead. A corner kick was mistakenly headed in for an own goal by Soufiane Mahrouk in the 13th minute. Al Muharraq leveled matters 15 minutes later through a long-range effort from Mohamed Hardan.

After the resumption, Muharraq mounted pressure on Al Riffa and were rewarded with a goal in the 49th minute. Simões received the ball at the edge of the box and danced around before unleashing a powerful left-footed strike to give Muharraq the lead.

Two penalty claims were overturned by the referee against Al Riffa in the later stages of the tie, as Al Muharraq were crowned champions of the King’s Cup. Former MC Alger striker Samy Frioui also won the title after coming off the bench in the second half. The Algerian striker was benched after starting the majority of the league season.

 

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Simões, known as a direct and pacy winger, joined the Bahraini giants in July 2025 and has contributed significantly to their success this season with seven goals in all competitions, including his strike in Friday’s cup final.

The Portugal-born former Barnsley and Nancy player has represented Angola since 2021. He made two friendly appearances in 2024 but has been overlooked by the national team since then.

His debut season in Bahrain could end in more success, as Al Muharraq are in the title race in the Nasser bin Hamad Premier League against table-toppers Al Khaldiya. Only two points separate the two sides, with four games left to play.