Romeehi strikes late in last-gasp Bahrain win over Syria

TDT | Manama                  

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Adil Romeehi scored the winning goal in the third minute of second-half stoppage time in Bahrain’s last-gasp 2-1 victory over Syria last night in the third West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) U-23 Championship, which kicked off in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Romeehi sent home the decisive effort just seconds after their opponents equalised. Bahrain’s under-23 Olympic team appeared certain to be sharing the points until Romeehi’s stunner.

The substitute received a long pass from near midfield that put him on a one-on-one with the Syrian goalkeeper. He then brilliantly rounded his opponent and gave himself enough space to tap the ball home with his left foot unopposed.

Just moments earlier, Syria’s Mohamad Rihanieh equalised with a goal from inside the penalty area. The Bahrainis had taken the lead in the 32nd minute through skipper Hussain Abdulkareem. The lanky striker pounced on a loose ball right in front of goal after teammate Salem Hussain’s header hit the crossbar.

Following Hussain’s effort, there was a mad scramble for the ball and Abdulkareem was quickest to react, outmuscling his defenders and sending the rebound into the net from close range. That was enough to give his team the lead heading into the break, setting the stage for the dramatic second-half.

Bahrain, coached by Dario Basic from Croatia, are now top of Group B with the result. The nationals will not be in action on match day two on Sunday when the Syrians take on hosts Saudi Arabia. The Bahrainis are back in action on Wednesday next week against the Saudis on the final day of play in the opening stage.

Bahrain are now in prime position to make it through to the semi-finals. Only the top two teams from each division following a single round-robin make it to the last four. There will then be gold and bronze medal games. In yesterday’s other match, the Qataris and Lebanese played to a goalless draw in Group A.