Bahrain beat hosts Malaysia 2-1 last night in a thrilling Group E game of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 Qualifiers Final Round at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur to advance to the top of the group table.
Both teams had been tied on three points each heading into the match, knowing the victors in this game would almost certainly be guaranteed of qualification for the AFC Asian Cup, which is scheduled to be held next year.
But the odds were considered seemingly stacked against Bahrain, who, despite outranking Malaysia in the Fifa world rankings 89 to 154, knew they had to contend with not just the spirited home team players, but also the support Malaysia would get from nearly 64,000 home fans who had flocked to the 87,000-seat stadium well before the game began.
And so, it proved to be. To make matters worse for the visitors, it began to rain as the stadium reverberated with the chants of Malaysian supporters while their team took the attack to Bahrain right from the start, devising clever plays to outfox their opponents’ defence and making regular inroads into the Bahraini box.
The pressure told on Bahrain in the 15th minute as Malaysian defender Corbin Ong intercepted a pass from one of the Bahraini midfielders and sent it soaring to midfielder Mohammad Akhyar Rashid, who took the ball and sprinted past the Bahraini defence. But Rashid’s right-footed shot went wide of the goal.
Bahrain decided to return the compliment just a few minutes later when midfielder Jasim Al Shaikh received a pass at the edge of the Malaysian box, but his powerful kick flew just past the right of the goal.
With the ground muddy and the rain continuing to pour down, the battle intensified with Malaysia clearly intent on striking the first blow.
Livewire Malaysian Rashid, who was constantly in the thick of the action, almost managed to draw first blood in the 31st minute when he received another perfect, aerial pass which he seemed almost ready to tap into the goal with only Bahrain captain and goalkeeper, Sayed Mohammed Abbas to beat. But defender Amine Benaddi managed to catch up with Rashid and a timely tackle resulted in a weak Rashid shot just bouncing off Abbas’ outstretched left hand.
Soon, half-time arrived with both teams yet to score. But Malaysia upped the ante straightaway in the second half, creating a flurry of chances, none of which came to fruition.
Then came a moment of brilliance from the home team. Centre-back Ahmed Khuzaimi sprinted down the left flank and fired in a cross to Mohamaddou Sumareh, who slid across the mud in the Bahrain box, with two defenders on either side of him, and managed to deflect the ball past the diving Abbas.
The massive crowd roared its approval and the Malaysian players celebrated. But their joy was destined to be short-lived because, just three minutes later, Bahraini midfielder Mahdi Al Humaidan laid down a perfect cross to Mohamed Marhoon in the Malaysian box. Marhoon, also a midfielder, headed the ball to Ali Haram, yet another midfielder, who had positioned himself perfectly in front of the goal and only needed to send it past the Malaysian goalkeeper, also their captain, Farizal Marlias.
With the scores level and half an hour still to play, the Bahrainis suddenly had a spring in their strides. The momentum had shifted and, while the Malaysians continued to attack their opposition’s defence, the Bahrainis started creating more goal scoring opportunities for themselves – but without luck.
This time, the pressure told on Malaysia when, in the 81st minute, goalkeeper Marlias’ tackle on Ali Madan, who had come on as a substitute only minutes earlier, resulted in a penalty for Bahrain. Forward Abdulla Yusuf Helal, who had also been on the field for just 15 minutes as a substitute, was selected to take the shot and he duly obliged, sending the ball gently, all along the ground, into the right of the goal, with Marlias diving in the wrong direction.
The chanting of the crowd continued, as they tried to urge their team on. But the Bahrainis proved more than equal to anything Malaysia threw at them. The chants grew louder as the match went into four minutes of injury time, then into the last minute. But there was no miracle lying in wait for the home team.
Bahrain now need only one point to ensure qualification for next year’s AFC Asian Cup. But they will be looking for a win, and the maximum three points to ensure they finish as group leaders, in their next, and final, game on Tuesday, against Turkmenistan who earned their first three points today by beating Bangladesh 2-1 in the earlier Group E match.