Tribune News Network
Kuwait
The Khaleeji Zain 26 – Arabian Gulf Cup football in Kuwait is turning into one for the ages after another round of thrilling Group B matches on the fourth day of action on Wednesday.
Bahrain booked their place in the semi-finals with a 2-0 win over Iraq, while Saudi Arabia came from 2-0 down to beat Yemen 3-2 in a game that was an absolute Christmas cracker.
At the Jaber Al Ahmad International Stadium, Bahrain opened the scoring through Ali Madan after the Iraqi defence was sliced open down the left, allowing the wide man to connect with a cross unmarked and finish from close range.
The same player made it 2-0 a minute into the second half when the defence was caught napping, allowing him to score at the second attempt.
The win moves them to six points from two games, guaranteeing passage through to the last four with one more group match to play against Yemen on Saturday.
In the evening’s opening match at the Jaber Al Mubarak International Stadium, Yemen stunned Saudi Arabia by taking the lead in the eighth minute when a short corner resulted in some fine work from captain Abdulwasea Al Matari whose pin-point cross was met by the head of Harwan Al Zubaidi.
That lead was doubled in the 27th minute when a short back pass was intercepted by Abdulmajeed Sabarah to poke past the advancing keeper and send the Yemen fans wild.
But the two-goal lead was short-lived as Saudi Arabia hit back just two minutes later. A well-worked free kick found Mohammed Kanno unmarked to head home and reduce the arrears to 2-1 at the break.
The game then turned on a controversial penalty awarded to Saudi Arabia early in the second half for handball following a lengthy VAR check. Musab Al Juwayr kept his calm from the spot to bring the scores level.
Despite Saudi pressure, the game appeared to be heading to a draw, but in the fourth added minute, Abdullah Al Hamdan broke Yemeni hearts with a vital winner, setting Group B up for a frantic finale on Saturday night when the winner of Saudi Arabia and Iraq will advance to the semi-finals with Bahrain.
A pleased Saudi Arabia coach Herve Renard said, “We played a strange match, but this happens in football,” said coach Renard. “The positive takeaway is our ability to fight back from two goals down. At half-time, I told the players to keep attacking and avoid mistakes, and we will win. I hope this win marks our real start in this important tournament.”
