FOOTBALL – Bahrain head coach Dragan Talajic voiced his full confidence in his players yesterday and stressed that all teams in the 27th Gulf Cup still have a chance of marching through to the semi-final round.
Talajic was speaking during his pre-game Press conference ahead of the Bahrainis’ crucial Group B clash against the UAE this evening.
The Croatian said he believes in the kingdom’s national team as they are determined to bounce back from their 0-2 defeat against Qatar in the opening fixture of their Gulf Cup title-defence in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, played Thursday night.
“The Gulf Cup is a really tough tournament; we just lost the first round, but everyone still has a chance,” Talajic said.
“I congratulate Qatar for their win against us, but we made one mistake, which we usually do not do.”
“We tried our best in the game, and in the first half, in my opinion, we were the better team. But in the second half, we made mistakes, and after that, mentally we went a little bit down.
“We will change something. We know the kinds of mistakes we did, and we will correct them. We were playing a little bit slow, so we need to play faster and have more concentration from beginning until the end of the game for 90 minutes. We must not give them any chance and make no mistakes.
“I believe in my boys. If we play the first half like we did against Qatar and create a little bit more offensive chances, inshaallah we will be okay.
“My boys, for me, are always the best, and they know that I trust in them. Inshaallah, we will make a good job tomorrow.”
Tonight’s match is scheduled for a 9pm kick-off, Bahrain time, and it will be played at Jeddah’s Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium.
It will be preceded by Qatar taking on Yemen at 6.55pm, also Bahrain time, at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium.
The Emiratis routed their Yemeni counterparts 4-0 in their head-to-head on Thursday, earning them the top spot on the Group B table.
Talajic was all praise for the UAE following their victory, particularly for their head coach and his fellow-Croatian Zlatko Dalic – who was at the helm of Croatia’s senior men’s national teams that won second and third place in the 2018 and 2022 Fifa World Cups, respectively.
“The UAE had a very strong game against Yemen – they played beautiful, modern football,” Talajic said. “They are a great team with a great coach. There are eight of us coaches here in this tournament, and he is the best coach out of all of us.
“But tomorrow will be something different. We will try to play our way.
“The UAE in this moment is in a better situation than us. They won the first game, but they need to win also tomorrow to qualify for the semi-finals. That means two teams need to win, and we will see what will happen. Inshaallah, luck will be on our side.
“We know almost everything about them, we analysed them well and they have high-quality players, but inshaallah, we will see.”
Talajic expressed his appreciation for Bahrain’s fans for their loyalty to the national team’s players, and is looking forward to their presence at the venue tonight to give a welcome boost to the kingdom’s squad.
“The love between the Bahraini people and my boys is unbelievable – they know they have big support from all of Bahrain,” Talajic said.
“We are one unit and we are one kingdom, and inshaallah my boys tomorrow we will represent the Bahraini people in the best way we can.”
“I will try to help in my way, and inshaallah we will be proud.”
Also at yesterday’s Presser, Bahrain’s star striker Mahdi Abduljabbar confirmed their readiness to face the UAE, indicating that the match will not be easy.
Abduljabbar emphasised that they are committed to achieving a positive result in the contest and said that their focus is entirely on today’s task.
The kingdom’s squad held their final training session yesterday in preparation for their UAE battle.
The hour-long practice featured physical fitness drills and a practice match where Talajic focused on Bahrain’s tactics for tonight’s match.
In attendance was Bahrain Football Association (BFA) vice-president Shaikh Khalifa bin Ali bin Isa Al Khalifa, along with BFA board member and senior men’s national team supervisor Shaikh Ahmed bin Isa Al Khalifa and General Sports Authority CEO Dr Abdulrahman Askar.
The Bahrain Football Association (BFA) announced last night that it has appealed the rejection of its official protest regarding the participation of Qatar’s Assim Madibo in their head-to-head with Bahrain last Thursday in the 27th Gulf Cup.
The BFA submitted a formal appeal to the Gulf Football Federation, challenging the decision to reject its protest.
The appeal is part of the BFA’s commitment to pursuing the established legal procedures, requesting a review of the decision, and verifying the player’s disciplinary status and the legality of his participation in the match, according to the relevant regulations and bylaws, the BFA said in a statement.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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