MUSCAT: Yemen secured their first ever victory in the history of Arabian Gulf Cup with a 2-1 result against Bahrain in their final Group B match at Jaber Al Mubarak Stadium in Kuwait City on Saturday night.
The Bahraini players started the match with high pressure on Yemen's goal, with the first Bahraini threat coming in the fourth minute through a shot by Ibrahim al Kahtal. The Bahraini team played the match with their reserve players, as they had already secured qualification as group leaders regardless of the outcome.
The Bahraini team continued their high pressing and in the 10th minute, Yemen's Ali al Dugin received a yellow card. Mohammed al Romaihi nearly opened the scoring for Bahrain with a dangerous header in the 14th minute, but Yemeni goalkeeper Mohammed Aman brilliantly saved it.
The Yemeni team began to regain their balance after the first 15 minutes and pushed forward in search of their first win in the tournament. In the 36th minute, Yemen earned a direct free kick, which Ahmed al Matari struck, but it rebounded off the wall and was followed up by his teammate Nasser al Gahwashi without finding the net.
Yemen maintained their pressure on Bahrain's goal and won a corner kick, which was played short and then followed up by Nasser al Gahwashi. The ball deflected off Bahrain's Ibrahim al Khattal, surprising the Bahraini goalkeeper and entering the net to announce Yemen's lead with the opening goal.
The Bahraini players tried to equalise after the goal, but in the final minute of the first half, Yemen's Al Gahwashi broke through Bahrain’s defence and scored another goal, only for it to be disallowed for offside. The first half ended with Yemen leading 1-0.
The Bahraini players entered the second half with clear determination to score an equaliser. After a series of attempts, they managed to level the score with a brilliant pass from Ibrahim al Khattal, which Mohammed al Romaihi converted into the net in the 61st minute.
In the 73rd minute, Nasser al Gahwashi was fouled by Bahraini defender Sayed Mehdi Baqer, who, after a review by VAR, received a red card, leaving Bahrain with 10 players.
Both teams continued to exchange attacks, but Yemen had the upper hand due to Bahrain's numerical disadvantage. In the 87th minute, Haroon al Zubaidi scored the winning goal for Yemen, sealing a 2-1 victory.
Despite the loss, the Bahraini team claimed the top spot in Group B, setting up a semifinal clash with Kuwait.
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