Bahrain make triumphant start to Arab Gulf Cup
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
Defending champions Bahrain made a winning start to the 25th Arab Gulf Cup last night with a resounding 2-1 victory over the UAE at Al Minaa Olympic Stadium in Basra, Iraq.
Star midfielders Komail Al Aswad and Jassim Al Shaikh were both on target for the nationals, with both goals being scored in the second half.
Sebastian Tagliabue found the net for the Emiratis with a late consolation.
Bahrain head coach Helio Sousa started the contest with a first 11 that included Sayed Mohammed Jaafar in goal; Sayed Dhiya Saeed, Waleed Al Hayam, Amine Hasan and Sayed Redha Isa in defence; Al Aswad, Al Shaikh, Mahdi Humaidan, Ali Madan and Ali Haram in a fiveman midfield; and Abdulla Yusuf as a solo striker.
After a goalless first half, Al Aswad opened Bahrain’s account in the 60th minute.
The Riffa ace fired in a brilliant left-footed free-kick from several metres outside the penalty area that flew past UAE goalkeeper Khalid Issa.
Al Aswad’s curling shot went to the top-right corner of goal, giving the Bahrainis the lead.
Bahrain then doubled their advantage in the 77th minute.
Al Shaikh, also a Riffa standout, received a pass from Humaidan.
Unmarked, he unleashed a rocket from a metre outside the box.
The UAE had their goal in the second minute of second-half stoppage time.
Tagliabue was on the receiving end of a cross from the right wing and headed home from the edge of the sixyard box.
His effort came off the right post, which Jaafar also made contact with in his attempt to make a save.
The Emiratis tried to find an equaliser from there, but the Bahrainis were able to hold on.
Bahrain and the UAE are joined in Group B by Qatar and Kuwait.
The nationals next take on the Qataris on Tuesday and then play their Kuwaiti counterparts on Friday.
Group A features hosts Iraq, Oman, Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
The top two teams at the end of a single round-robin move on to the semi-finals, scheduled for 16 January.
The final will then be held on 19 January. The Bahrainis have a 23-member squad in Basra.
The other players include Hamad Shamsan, Mohammed Jassim Marhoon, Abdulla Alkhalasi, Abdulwahab Al Malood, Ahmed Al Sherooqi, Ahmed Bughammar, Mohammed Adel, Ebrahim Al Khattal, Mahdi Abdullatif, Ebrahim Lutfallah, Omar Salem and Hamza Adrees.
Bahrain are the reigning Gulf Cup champions.
Their triumph in the 2019 edition was an historic achievement for the national team, having captured the trophy for the first time in nearly 50 years.
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