Bahrain overcame a combative Kyrgyzstan team, 2-0, in a friendly game at the Muharraq Stadium last night.
The hosts began the match aggressively, dominating the first 10 minutes of play before the visitors, who had been forced on the defensive, started to counter-attack.
But, after an eventful first half, with many stoppages for multiple fouls by both sides, the two teams headed into the change rooms at the break with the scoreboard reading 0-0.
Bahrain went on the offensive again in the second half and, this time, their aggression paid off when midfielder Mohamed Abdulwahab managed to get the ball past Kyrgyzstan goalkeeper Erzhan Tokotaev in the 59th minute.
Now, 1-0 up, the Bahrainis continued to press the Kyrgyzstanis, who now appeared completely on the defensive as the hosts concentrated on retaining possession with some nifty passing.
As the game ticked into the last 10 minutes of regulation time, Bahrain turned the heat on further with their sustained assaults on the Kyrgyzstan goal and it seemed inevitable that they would eventually find a breach in their opponents’ defence.
That moment arrived in the 85th minute when striker Abdulla Al Hashash sent the ball soaring past Tokotaev’s desperate lunge to celebrate Bahrain’s second goal of the night.
Now 2-0 up, all Bahrain had to do was stave off any attacks by Kyrgyzstan as the clock ticked into five minutes of injury time. And they managed to do just that to eventually clinch victory in an often fiesty game that saw both teams receive four yellow cards each.
&uuid=(email))