AHMED Sanad scored a stoppage time equaliser to help Bahrain salvage a 2-2 draw against Kyrgyzstan yesterday and keep alive hopes of advancing into next stage of the football tournament of the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta.
Sanad’s dramatic goal came in the 94th minute and it gave the Bahrainis their first point after two matches in Group ‘E’ of this opening round.
Sanad, a second-half substitute, headed home from close range after receiving a short pass from Mohamed Marhoon, who had earlier supplied Bahrain’s opening goal in the first-half.
Ogilzhon Abdurakhmanov and Ernist Batyrkanov were on target for Kyrgyzstan.
The result followed the opening day losses for both teams. Bahrain had bowed to defending champions South Korea 0-6 while Kyrgyzstan were outclassed 1-3 by Malaysia.
The Malaysians stunned South Korea 2-1 in yesterday’s other Group ‘E’ contest to move to the top of the group with six points.
South Korea follow with three points while Kyrgyzstan and Bahrain have one apiece.
Final
Bahrain face off with Malaysia on Monday in their final fixture of the preliminary round while Korea and Kyrgyzstan lock horns in the other match of the group.
The Bahrainis need nothing less than a victory to have any chance of qualifying for the next stage.
There are six groups in the preliminaries. Only the top two from each group, plus the four best third-placed move on to the Round of 16.
Bahrain opened the scoring in the 20th minute with a brilliant two-man play.
Forward Hashim Hashim did well to dribble the ball into the box and after making it past his marker passed the ball to a waiting and unmarked Marhoon on his left who then made no mistake with a right-footed shot into the bottom-left corner of goal.
After the re-start, Kyrgyzstan needed just 14 minutes to level the proceedings through Abdurakhmanov.
Some poor Bahrain defending allowed a Kairat Uuly cross from the right wing make its way across the face of goal and Abdurakhmanov was quick to pounce on the opportunity with a left-footed tap between two Bahraini defenders to equalise.
Batyrkanov then stunned the Bahrainis with a second goal with only eight minutes remaining in regular time.
The midfielder put in an impressive solo run towards the goal and even with two defenders trying to stop him, managed to hit the ball past Bahraini goalkeeper Ammar Ahmed.
The ball first bounced off the left post and then came off the right upright before bouncing into goal.
The win appeared to be sealed for the Kyrgyzstanis as the match headed into stoppage time, but in the 94th minute, Sanad came up with his late heroics.