Saudi Arabia put their disappointing start to the Gulf Cup behind them with a commanding 3-0 win over Bahrain last night to move to the top of Group A.
The hosts, heavily criticised by media and fans after a 1-1 draw against Qatar, responded with an assertive performance, which was further embellished by some embarrassing Bahrain defending.
The opposition contributed two own goals to the Saudi tally after Nasser Al Shamrani had opened the scores in the 26th minute, taking advantage of a complete defensive breakdown.
Abdullah Al Hazaa (54th minute) and Mohammed Hussain (70th) then deflected crosses into their own net to virtually assure the Saudis, who play Yemen in their final group game, a place in the semis.
In the first game, Yemen gave another resolute performance to hold Qatar to a scoreless tie and earn two points in the tournament for the first time.
“This is great result when you consider the age of the team; many of them are very inexperienced,” Yemeni captain Alaa Al Sassi said.
An emotional Al Sassi, almost holding back the tears, said there is more to come from this team. “We are very happy with the performance,” he said. “We have set an example, and hopefully future generations will bring even more.”
Their joy, however, was soured by what looked like a serious injury to defender Mohammed Boqshan, who was knocked out following a collision with Qatari Karim Boudiaf.
Play was held up for nearly three minutes as medical personnel worked on him before he was stretchered off, apparently still unconscious.
Yemen lost 18 of their first 21 matches in the competition and returned home from the past three tournaments without a point.
This time, they have two points from two matches. Their battling performances have upset all calculations in Group A, which was considered a three-team group before the start of the tournament.
A team who had conceded 55 goals in the tournament, at a rate of 2.6 per game, have yet to concede this time and could fancy their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals when they meet the Saudis in their final group game, on Wednesday.
Yemen, who split points with Bahrain in their opening match, could have got three points against Qatar; they had the best chance of the game.
Making a dash on the break in the 30th minute, Wahid Al Khyat found Abdulweasea Al Matari in the clear with a brilliant cross and the Yemeni No 11 had the Qatari goalkeeper Qasem Burhan at his mercy, but his attempt was just wide of the far post.
arizvi@thenational.ae
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