FOOTBALL – Bahrain and Qatar played to a 2-2 draw last night in an international friendly match played behind closed doors at Al Thumama Stadium in the Qatari capital.
Komail Al Aswad and substitute Ebrahim Al Khattal were the Bahrainis’ goal scorers in the contest, which took place with no fans or media in attendance.
Bahrain head coach Dragan Talajic fielded a starting 11 that included Ebrahim Luthfallah in goal, Vincent Emmanuel, Amine Benaddi, Waleed Al Hayyam, Abdulla Al Khalasi, Mahdi Humaidan, Mahdi Abduljabbar, Mohammed Jassim Marhoon, Ali Madan, skipper Sayed Dhiya Saeed, and Al Aswad.
The hosts took the lead in the 18th minute when Mohammed Muntari scored, but Al Aswad brought the game back on level terms with a penalty in the 62nd minute.
Al Khattal then put the Bahrainis ahead just four minutes later, but Ahmed Alaa spoiled any potential celebrations for the visitors when he equalised three minutes from full time.
Yesterday’s tune-up was the first of two official friendlies for Bahrain in the coming week. They are also set to face off with the UAE’s senior men’s squad on Monday in Dubai.
The nationals are playing their friendlies as part of Fifa’s international break. They are gearing up for their upcoming competitions, headlined by the Fifa Arab Cup 2025 this December, also to be held in Doha.
The national team are scheduled to depart for the Emirates today ahead of their UAE clash, which will take place at Dubai’s Zabeel Stadium, scheduled for a 7.15pm kick-off, Bahrain time.
The rest of Bahrain’s roster in this period includes Mohammed Al Rumaihi, Ahmed Bughammar, Hamad Shamsan, Sayed Mahdi Baqer, Hussain Al Eker, Hazza Ali, Hussain Jameel, Ahmed Al Sherooqi, Omar Saber, Jassim Al Shaikh, Hussain Abdulkarim, Hussain Zuhair, Sayed Mahdi Sharaf, Mohammed Al Gharably, Abdulkarim Al Fardan, and Yousef Habib.
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