Bahrain edge Yemen to revive semi-finals hopes

Kuwait City: Bahrain revived their hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals of the 23rd Arabian Gulf Cup after they defeated Yemen by 1-0 on Tuesday, December 26 in the second round of the Group 2 matches in Kuwait. Bahrain owe their win to Jamal Rashid who scored the only goal of the match in the 38th minute through a penalty.

The match was characterized by moderate performance from both teams, as the Bahrainis controlled the match in the first half while the Yemenis dominated the second half. In the first round, Bahrain drew 1-1 with Iraq, while Yemen lost 4-0 to Qatar.

The match started at a fast pace with Bahrain almost scoring after just three minutes of the match through a header by Ali Jafar following a well-placed pass made by Kameel Hassan Al-Aswad. However, the ball went past the Yemeni side bar. The Yemenis tried to reorganize their lines after their bland start of the match but their efforts did not succeed in creating a threat for the Bahraini goalkeeper Sayyed Shibr Alawi.

The Bahraini side made several attempts thereafter such as a strong shot by Mahdi Abdul-Jabbar from inside the penalty area but it went off target, as well as attempts to score by Kameel Al-Aswad and Abdul-Wahab Al-Safi, all of which had created some threat for the Yemeni goalkeeper. In the 30th minute, Bahrain’s Jamal Rashid almost broke the deadlock but his shot was deflected away from the goal post by one of the Yemeni defenders, resulting in a corner kick.

However, in the 39th minute due to a foul play by Yemen’s Muhammad Baruwes against Mahdi Abdul-Jabbar within the penalty area, the Bahrainis were awarded with a penalty, and they scored. After that goal, Yemenis appeared to have gathered their balance and momentum. In the remaining minutes to half time, they launched several considerably serious but unsuccessful attacks.