BAHRAIN bowed out of the 2018 AFC Futsal Championship yesterday following a 0-2 defeat to Japan in the quarter-final yesterday in Taipei.
Koichi Saito and Tomoki Yoshikawa scored on either side of half-time for the victors. They remained undefeated so far in the tournament.
For Bahrain, skipper Mohamed Al Sandi and teammate Jassam Saleh tried hard to create opportunities to score and both tested Japan goalkeeper Higor Pires on several occasions. But they couldn’t find the net and went down fighting as the underdogs.
Despite the loss, the Bahrainis did well in what was only their second appearance in the history of the championship. They were one of four teams to qualify for the championship from West Asia.
Japan moved on to the semi-finals where they will face Iraq, while Iran and Uzbekistan battle in the other semi-final.
Iraq qualified after a 9-8 penalty shootout win against Lebanon while Iran routed Thailand 9-1 in their quarter-final. Uzbekistan, meanwhile, defeated Vietnam 3-1.
The semi-final will be played today while the bronze and gold medal matches are scheduled for Sunday.