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MATCH RESULT
Bahrain have a win to show for their Asian Cup efforts after beating Qatar 2-1 in Sydney.
Both sides started with many chances in the first half, but it wasn’t until the 35th minute that Bahrain opened the scoring through Sayed Dhiya Shubbar. With both sides hitting the woodwork in the first 45 minutes, Bahrain will have considered themselves lucky to go into the half time break up 1-0.
Qatar started the second half with intent, and they scored the equalizer from a Hassan Al Haidos free kick in the 68th minute.
The game slowed down significantly after that, and we seemed destined for a draw before a 82nd minute Sayed Ahmed goal sealed the 3 points for Bahrain.
It’s worth mentioning that Mohammed Muntari has numerous missed opportunities in this match, and if he had hit even one of them, this game could have been very different.
MATCH PREVIEW
Pride is on the line at the Asian Cup when Qatar take on Bahrain in Sydney. Join The Roar for Live Scores and Commentary from 8:00pm (AEDT).
Bahrain have two losses from their two games in this tournament, dropping their opener to Iran 2-0 before losing 2-1 to the UAE. While they still have nothing to show for their efforts at the Asian Cup, they certainly looked impressive against the UAE, and a win would build nicely for upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
Qatar also have two losses to start the tournament, dropping their opener to the UAE 4-1, before taking a 1-0 loss to Iran. With controversy still surrounding their upcoming World Cup, a win here would be a step towards relevancy for Qatar.
Bahrain have certainly looked the better of the two sides so far, particularly in their attacking third. With Jaycee John Okwunwanne up front, Bahrain have a legitimate target in the area, one that will certainly cause trouble for the Qatari back four.
In contrast, Qatar have looked toothless in attack so far in this competition. Mohammed Mutari showed some intent against Iran, but he will need help if Qatar want a result out of this game.
Both defences have been average at best this tournament. While both have had good patches, the stats read five goals against Qatar, and four against Bahrain. While Bahrain certainly have the more potent attacking options, this game could come down to which defence performs better.
As mentioned above, Jaycee John Okwunwanne is Bahrain’s best avenue to goal. The big Nigerian scored against the UAE, and he will be hungry to add to that tally against Qatar. Captain Mohamed Hussain will be keen to put in a strong performance after his own-goal sealed the 2-1 loss to the UAE.
Mohammed Muntari will cause headaches for Bahrain, but as mentioned above, the key here is the help he may get from his team mates. Khalfan Ibrahim may be the man to fill that role, as he showed promise in the latter stages of their loss to Iran.
Prediction:
The fact that this game is a dead rubber makes this prediction hard. Both teams could come out and play with defensive mindsets, or we could see both teams throw caution to the wind. Either way, I’m fairly confident in a Bahrain win.
Bahrain 2-0
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