Holders Bahrain thump UAE

Title-holders Bahrain began their Gulf Cup defence in nice fashion after beating United Arab Emirates 2-1 in the first Group B match of the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup at the Al Minaa Olympic Stadium in Iraq on Saturday.

Bahrain dominated the match and could have score more goals unless for their lack of finish against an unimpressive UAE team.

Komail al Aswad (60th minute) and Jassim al Shaikh (77th) found the target for Bahrain while Sebastian Tagliabue netted one goal for the UAE in the injury time.

After a well-contested first-half, Bahrain got the upper hand in the second-half.

Consistent pressure by the Bahraini players bore fruit in the 60th minute.

UAE’s Khaled Ebraheim conceded a free kick near their penalty box after a foul on Ali Madan, who threatened to break through.

Komail al Aswad’s left-footed shot brushed past the UAE wall to land in the top right corner to put Bahrain ahead 1-0.

In the 77th minute, Bahrain struck again after a good move. Hard-working Jassim al Shaikh advanced to the UAE penalty box after an assist from Mahdi al Humaidan and hit a strong right-footed shot, which gave no chance for UAE goalkeeper Khalid Eisa.

After the second goal, UAE saw the red alert but it was too late.

However, in the injury time, Sebastian Tagliabue pulled one back for the UAE with a well-timed header.

Tagliabue latched onto a cross from Harib Abdalla Suhail to place his header past Bahrain goalkeeper Sayed Jaafar into the bottom right corner of the net.

Just before the final whistle, Tagliabue threatened Bahrain with an equalizer attempt, but his header from the centre of the box was just a bit too high after an assist by Yahya al Ghassani.

The second-half began with Bahrain’s Sayed Reda Issa getting a yellow card for a tackle on Ali Saleh of UAE.

In the 34th minute, Ali Haram of Bahrain was booked for a foul on Abdalla Ramadan of UAE.

Though Bahrain (47%) had a lesser possession compared to UAE (52%) they managed four shots on target as opponents had three shots on target.

SAUDI BLANK YEMEN

In the late match on Friday, Saudi Arabia blanked Yemen 2-0 to take full points from their opening match of Group A.

First half goals from debutants Sumayhan al Nabit and Musab al Juwayr sealed the victory for the three-time winners at Basra International Stadium.

Saudi Arabia are on top of Group A with three points from the win. Iraq and Oman, who made a goalless draw in the tournament opener, are second and third. Yemen are at the bottom with no points.

On Monday, Saudi will take on Iraq in a key match of the group. Oman will need to win against Yemen also on the same day to improve their chances of qualifying to the semifinals.