FOOTBALL – BAHRAIN’S senior men’s football national team returned to the pitch last night in preparation for their second Group B game tomorrow against the UAE in the 27th Gulf Cup.
The kingdom’s squad went right back to work less than a day after their 0-2 loss to Qatar late on Thursday night in their opening fixture of the eight-nation tournament, currently being held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The defending champions are determined to bounce back in their next assignment and are fully focused on the task at hand against the Emiratis. Their contest is scheduled for a 9pm kick-off, Bahrain time, and it will be played at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium.
The national team players who saw significant time in their match against Qatar took part in a recovery session yesterday at their Jeddah hotel. A training session under head coach Dragan Talajic was then conducted at King Abdullah Sports City’s outdoor fields with the group that did not participate in the tie. The practice, held behind closed doors, included physical fitness exercises and ball drills.
The UAE were big 4-0 winners against Yemen in their first game, also played Thursday. They are atop the Group B table, ahead of the Qataris on goal difference.
Following Thursday’s defeat, Talajic expressed his satisfaction with the national team’s performance in the first half, but acknowledged that individual errors affected their concentration, which then led to their opponents’ goals.
Talajic stressed that his players must learn from their mistakes as they move forward in the competition and now shift their focus to their upcoming assignments, with a belief that they can perform better.
Talajic added that six points are still at stake against the UAE tomorrow and Yemen on Wednesday next week, and vowed that Bahrain will fight to achieve victories in both games to make up for their opening defeat.
Talajic is scheduled to address the media once again today in his pre-match Press conference. He is set to be accompanied on the speakers’ podium by Bahrain’s star striker Mahdi Abduljabbar.
Meanwhile, Gulf Cup action continues tonight with two matches in Group A. Kuwait take on Iraq in the evening’s early fixture at 6.55pm at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, followed at 9pm by Oman playing hosts Saudi at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium.
The participating senior men’s squads are hoping to finish amongst their division’s top two in order to squeeze through to the semi-finals, slated for October 3. The final will then be held on October 6 at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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