Bahrain National Stadium thundered with cheers last night as Mohamed Yusuf Hardan’s 66th minute penalty shattered Iran’s aura of invincibility.
The 1-0 victory in Round Two of the Fifa World Cup 2022 and AFC Asian Cup 2023 joint qualification pushed Bahrain up to the second position in Group ‘C’ standings, currently led by Iraq.
The excitement at the stadium was at feverish pitch when Mahdi Faisal Al Humaidan was fouled and referee Valentin Kovalenko signalled for a penalty kick.
The noise subsided for a few seconds as the crowd waited with bated breath, setting their sights on Hardan who was preparing for what would be the most important moment of the match.
Hardan’s shot went beyond Iran goalkeeper Ali Reza Safarbeiranvand’s reach and into the net, sending the anxious spectators into a frenzy.
Last night’s loss was a jolt for Iran who were coming off a long unbeaten streak, including a 14-0 rout of Cambodia last week. They started off cautiously and had to wait until the 18th minute for a serious scoring attempt.
Karim Ansari Fard’s shot from outside the box was fended off by Bahrain goalie Sayed Mohamed Abbas. Ten minutes later, forward Mehdi Taremi’s kick from far outside the box went well above the post.
Sensing danger, Bahrain went on the attack and created quite a stir in the 33rd minute when they almost headed in Sayed Dhiya Saeed’s corner. The next minute saw Saeed’s shot at goal being blocked by the Iranian goalie.
The excitement continued as two minutes later Taremi failed to beat Abbas and Abdulla Yusuf Helal’s header missed Iran’s goalpost.
Iran went through some agonising moments in the last minute before the interval when defender Ramin Rezaeiansemeskandi’s powerful free kick was deftly saved by Abbas.
The search for a goal continued with added vigour in the second half but both teams wasted a couple of chances to score. Fard came close to scoring in the 51st minute and, two minutes later, he was again in the thick of action with a pass to Taremi near the box.
Taremi’s shot, however, was superbly saved by Abbas as the crowd heaved a sigh of relief.
Bahrain midfielder Abdulwahab Rahman Almalood almost scored in the 61st minute, but his shot was well saved by Ali Reza. All the disappointments were put to rest five minutes later when the key moment of the match arrived with the fouling of Al Humaidan.
There were no serious scoring opportunities for either team after Bahrain went one up with the hosts focusing on their defence. Bahrain, cheered on by the crowd, made sure that Iran’s desperate attempts to equalise were foiled.
In the other Group ‘C’ clash, played earlier in the evening, Iraq defeated Cambodia 4-0 away from home.
- Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, representative of HM the King for Charity Work and Youth Affairs and Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports Affairs, congratulated Bahrain on their victory.