FOOTBALL – BAHRAIN’S senior men’s football national team suffered a shock 1-2 defeat to Somalia, ranked 202nd in the world, last night in an international friendly match played at the National Stadium in Riffa.
Mohammed Al Rumaihi put the hosts ahead in the 35th minute but Somalia’s Mohamed Omar struck on the stroke of half-time to send the two sides into the break deadlocked at 1-1. Issa Adam then scored the winner for the visitors 10 minutes from full time, sending the Bahrainis to yet another defeat in a tune-up game.
Somalia are currently 202nd on the Fifa World Ranking and 52nd amongst senior men’s national teams in the Confederation of African Football (CAF), while Bahrain are 90th internationally and 13th in the Asian Football Confederation.
Attending last night’s contest were Bahrain Olympic Committee vice-president Shaikh Isa bin Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Bahrain Football Association board member Shaikh Salman bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa, and other high-ranking officials.
The game was held behind closed doors, with no fans in attendance or any television coverage. It was part of both teams’ preparations for their upcoming single-game qualifying fixtures for the Fifa Arab Cup 2025. Bahrain will be facing Djibouti while Somalia will be taking on Oman, both on November 26, to be held at separate venues in Doha, Qatar. The winners will secure their berths in the group stage of the Fifa Arab Cup 2025.
Bahrain head coach Dragan Talajic fielded a starting 11 last night that included goalkeeper Ebrahim Lutfhallah between the posts; skipper Sayed Dhiya Saeed, Sayed Mahmood Almosawi, Ahmed Bughammar, Mohammed Adel, and Abdulla Al Khalasi in a five-man back line; Ali Madan, Mohammed Jassim Marhoon, and Komail Al Aswad in midfield; and Al Rumaihi paired up with Mahdi Abduljabbar as their strike partnership.
The defeat last night followed two other friendly losses against top African opposition last month, when they bowed to both Morocco and Egypt’s B national team in games played at Rabat.
Bahrain’s match against Djibouti, ranked 196th in the world and 51st in the CAF, will be held at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in the Qatari capital. It is scheduled for a 4pm kick-off, Bahrain time. Somalia’s contest with Oman will be played at Doha’s Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium.
Should the Bahrainis book their seat in the Fifa Arab Cup, they will be in Group D where they will join defending champions Algeria, Iraq, and either Lebanon or Sudan, who also play in a qualifier on November 26.
Group A features competition hosts Qatar, Tunisia, Syria or South Sudan, and Palestine or Libya; Group B is composed of Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Oman or Somalia, and Yemen or Comoros; and Group C includes the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, and either Kuwait or Mauritania.
This year’s Fifa Arab Cup will be its 11th edition and second under its current format organised by Fifa. The last edition in 2021, also held in Doha, saw the Algerians claim the title. Bahrain bowed out in the group stage.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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