BAHRAIN defeated Afghanistan 2-0 last night in their final group ‘B’ qualifying match for the AFC U-23 Championship.
Abdulrahman Mohamed Ahmedi and Ali Jaafar Madan were on target for the Bahrainis. They found the net on either side of half-time and should have scored more as it was generally a one-sided contest.
With the result, the Bahrainis salvaged their only victory in three games in the qualification competition, which was held at Riyadh’s Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium.
Bahrain finished third to end group ‘B’ with just three points after one win from three matches. Afghanistan stayed in fourth and last place with zero points from zero wins.
Iraq moved to the top of the standings following a 2-0 win against hosts Saudi Arabia in last night’s other group ‘B’ clash. Hussein Al Saedi and Ayman Hussein were on target for Iraq in the first half.
Berth
Both Iraq and Saudi earned a berth in next year’s AFC U-23 Championship, which is scheduled to be held in China.
Only the top team from each of the 10 qualification groups earn an automatic berth in the tournament, along with five of the best second-placed teams.
In Bahrain’s victory, Ahmedi opened the scoring in the 17th minute when he headed home a cross from close range. That was enough for a 1-0 lead at the break. The Bahrainis were unlucky not to add to their advantage all through the second half, despite having many chances.
It wasn’t until the 87th minute when they would finally be rewarded their second. The Bahrainis were given a penalty after Madan was taken down in the box. He picked himself up to take the shot and slotted the ball home into the left of goal.
Madan had a great chance to make it three in the game’s final possession. After winning the ball from Afghanistan goalkeeper Hamidullah Wakili, he hit a weak left-footed shot but it was parlayed enough for the ball to trickle down the goal line before going out of bounds.