Bahrain hold Qatar, seal semis berth in Gulf Cup
Kuwait, December 30, 2017-Bahrain on Friday reached the semi-finals of the Gulf Cup following a thrilling 1-1 draw against defending champions Qatar.
A second-half strike by Ali Jafaar Madan helped Bahrain get the much-needed one point to finish above Qatar in the first phase of the Gulf Cup.
For Qatar, their goal was scored off a penalty kick by striker and captain Hassan al Haydos in injury time of the first half at Jaber Al Ahmed Stadium.
Bahrain finished the Group B standings with five points while Iraq (7 points) sealed the top position with a 3-0 win over Iraq on Friday.
Qatar, winners in 2014, finished third with 4 points from three matches. Yemen ended the tournament without any win from their three matches.
Qatar opened the tournament with a 4-0 victory over Yemen but lost to Iraq 2-1, last Tuesday.
A couple of tackles from both the teams in the first three minutes thrilled the fans, who were present in thousands.
In one instance Bahrain's Sayed Mahdi Bager even sought medical assistance as players showed nerves in the key clash.
In the fourth minute, Bahrain's Jamal Rashed, after receiving a cross from eventual match hero Jaafar, broke free of his marker inside the Qatar box but his low shot was smartly gobbled up by Qatar goalkeeper Saad al Sheeb.
In the next few minutes, Qatar sustained pressure with moves into the Bahrain box but the Bahrain backline stood firm to keep their slate clean.
In the 13th minute, Jaafar was brought down by a rough tackle from Qatar's Ahmed Fathy and promptly got a yellow card, the first one of the Group B clash.
Two minutes later, Qatar captain and feared striker Haydos nearly pulled off a stunner with a shot that missed the target by inches off an indirect free-kick.
In the 18th minute, Bahrain star Jaafar - on the edge of the box - fired a powerful shot that was flicked for a corner by Qatar goalkeeper Sheeb to kill the Bahrain move.
Soon after, Qatar's Pedro Miguel - though perfectly positioned - misfired with a snap-header as his deflection off a corner kick sailed just about the Bahrain crossbar.
In the 27th minute, Haydos the team's fittest athlete by far covered amazing ground with a solo effort that ended near the Bahrain box but surprisingly his fellow strikers were not in position to take the flying cross.
In the 37th minute, Uzbek referee Asimov Aziz clearly missed a handball infringement by Bahrain's Ahmed Abdulla - standing inside his own box - following a crisp cross by Qatar's Miguel on the flank. The referee waved play on despite protests by the Qatar players.
Two minutes later, Bahrain goalkeeper Sayed Ebrahim emerged as a hero by stopping a low shot from Haydos, who fired from close to the edge of the Bahrain box.
Seconds later striker Almoez Ali one of Qatar's brightest prospects from the junior ranks - weaved his way into the Bahrain box but his deft low cross was missed by team mates Abdulakreem and Akram Afif.
Barely two minutes from the first-half whistle, Qatar's Pedro clipped a near-perfect cross for Ismail Mohammed whose snap-header from close range narrowly missed the Bahrain crossbar.
Qatar's brave show in the first half bore fruit when Bahrain goalkeeper brought down Afif inside the box with the wiry Al Anabi striker ready to shoot. Uzbek referee pointed to the spot before showing a yellow to keeper Ebrahim.
Haydos stepped up and went for the top of the net for Qatar's goal that silenced a big Bahrain crowd. It was Haydos' second goal of the tournament.
With their tails up, Qatar launched attacks from the first minute of the second half. Three minutes after the resumption of play, Haydos attempted a long-range shot to add more pressure on the Bahrain backline.
With Bahrain trailing in the do-or-die game, player infraction started to increase with constant shoving and pushing by the players on the pitch.
In the 58th minute, Bahrain found the equaliser when Jaafar converted from close range after a cross from the flank.
In the 73rd minute, Qatar striker Ali charged into the Bahrain box but produced a fumbled shot with goal in sight.
Moments later coach Felix Sanchez opted for a double substitution as Mohammed Muntari and Ali Fereydoun were brought in to beef up Qatar attack.
In the 80th minute, Afifi dribbled past a couple of Bahrain defenders but failed to find the target from close range by smashing the ball wide.
A minute from the final whistle, Bahrain's Abdulla Yusuf with only Qatar goalkeeper to beat from close range - misfired with his shot.
In the semifinals, Bahrain will play Oman on Jan 2, while Iraq will battle UAE.
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