Bahrain edge past Malaysia in thriller

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain took one step closer to securing their berth in the AFC Asian Cup 2023 last night following a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Malaysia in a rain-hit match in Kuala Lumpur.

An Ali Haram equaliser and an Abdulla Yusuf penalty earned the all-important three points for the nationals in the contest, which was played in front of 64,000 fans at Bukit Jalil National Stadium in the Malaysian capital.

The win was the second in as many games for the Bahrainis in Group E of qualification. They improved to six points and went to the top of the table ahead of Malaysia and Turkmenistan, who defeated last-placed Bangladesh 2-1 in yesterday’s other divisional fixture. Bahrain now has just one match left to play on Tuesday against the Turkmen.

That is scheduled for a 12.15 pm kickoff, Bahrain time, and it will decide their finishing place on the group standings. The nationals must be group winners or at least one of the best runners-up from all the groups to earn a berth at next year’s Asian Cup. Last night’s clash was in danger of being postponed after a heavy downpour blanketed Kuala Lumpur hours before kick-off and drenched the playing venue.

The game eventually went ahead as scheduled but neither team were able to find a goal in the opening half of play. After the break, the Malaysians were the first to get onto the scoreboard with a Mohamadou Sumareh strike from close range in the 55th minute. Sumareh was on the receiving end of a cross from the left-wing supplied by teammate Ahmad Khuzaimi Bin Piee.

The Bahrainis should have done better to clear, but Sumareh capitalised on the opportunity to give his team the lead. The home side didn’t have long to celebrate, however, as Bahrain replied just two minutes later.

Some brilliant passing from the visitors led to the equaliser. A cross from Mahdi Humaidan on the left found Mohammed Jassim Marhoon on the right of goal, and he made a short headed-pass to Haram who needed just to tap the ball home.

That gave Bahrain new life and they pressed hard for the winner over the remainder of the match. Their efforts were finally rewarded when substitute Ali Madan was brought down in the box by Malaysia goalkeeper Farizal Marlias with just 10 minutes to go. Bahrain was awarded the penalty and Yusuf stepped forward to take the kick.

He sent his shot into the bottom-right corner of the net, with Marlias guessing the wrong way. That proved to be the difference between the two sides in the hotly contested affair. There are 24 teams in all in this final round of qualifying for the AFC Asian Cup 2023. They have been divided into six groups, each of which is being played at a centralised venue. Bahrain is looking to secure their seventh appearance in the tournament proper.