MANAMA // The Bahrain coach Milan Macala criticised his side after they lost 3-2 to Japan in their opening Group One game of the final round of World Cup qualifying on a sweltering evening in Manama. The result does not tell the whole story of a match where Japan went 3-0 up, only to panic, conceding two late goals in a nervy ending.
The Celtic midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura put the visitors ahead with a 17th minute free-kick, Yasuhito Endo doubled the advantage from the penalty spot shortly before the break before Kengo Nakamura's deflected strike extended the lead with six minutes remaining. But a shot from Salman Isa and an own goal by Marcus Tulio Tanaka, both in the last few minutes, cut the deficit to a single goal. "I'm not happy about this result," said the Czech Macala, who led Bahrain to a 1-0 over Japan at the same venue six months ago.
"Japan didn't create one opportunity at all but we helped them with mistakes. "We lost the game because we didn't play well in the first half. This is our problem. We came on to the field with a big respect for Japan. I don't know why. "You know our experience from the last time when we beat Japan. We said we were changing. Our spirit was out there. "But what I saw was different people and different reaction from my players. Once it was 1-0, they controlled the game better and this created psychological problems for us."
The Japan coach Takeshi Okada praised his side's determination. "I'm delighted that our players worked hard in this heat to collect three points," said Okada. "We panicked during the last 10 minutes when we gave away two goals. But this could be a best way to win the game for us as we were able to learn something. "The outcome of the game can change with a small mistake. "If you lose your focus, this can happen. On top of that, our substitute players didn't fulfil their duties. It's football."
Meanwhile, the Qatar coach Jorge Fossati insisted his side's ability to stifle Uzbekistan was the basis for their stunning 3-0 victory at Al Sadd Stadium. Majdi Siddiq's free-kick set the ball rolling after 37 minutes before substitute Magid Mohamed doubled the advantage after 72 minutes. Talal Al Bloushi sealed the points with two minutes remaining to get the hosts' campaign off to a fantastic start.
"We are happy with this win especially as we faced a strong team who prepared well for the game," said the Uruguayan Fossati. "We knew that Uzbekistan would be looking to employ quick counter attacks. We created a lot of chances although we made some mistakes in converting those chances into goals." The Uzbekistan coach Rauf Inileev believed Malaysian referee Subkhiddin Salleh was largely responsible for the defeat although he conceded Qatar produced an impressive display.
"Unfortunately the referee didn't have a good game and we were denied a clear penalty in the second half when Qatar were 1-0 up," he said. "Qatar's first goal also came from a free-kick which shouldn't have been given. "But speaking about the referee's mistakes doesn't change the fact that Qatar played a good game." * With agencies
