JEDDAH: Bahrain topped Group A with a 3-1 thrilling victory in the 19th Arabian Gulf Cup soccer tournament in Muscat at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex last night.

Bahrain gained three important points in its first victory over Iraq in the history of Gulf Cup matches.

Bahrain opened their account in the 28th minute through a fine pass inside the penalty box from an unguarded Abdullah Omar, who did not waste time in placing the ball in the Iraqi net.

Iraq suffered hard when their goalkeeper was sent off after he was shown a red card for tackling inside the penalty box. Thus, Bahrain was awarded the penalty kick.

Muhammad Adnan made it 2-0 in the 59th minute.

Striker Younus Mahmoud put some soothing music in the ears of the chanting Iraqi fans by scoring a solitary goal for his side in the 81st minute through a penalty kick.

But the aggressive Bahrain sealed Iraq’s fate by adding a third goal in the injury time through Abdullah Saleh, who, after receiving a fine cross inside the penalty box, made it 3-0. Iraqis tried hard to break the barrier but the strong defense foiled all of their attempts.

Earlier, in the opening match, host Oman played out a goalless draw against a nine-time winner Kuwait in a low-profile match. Both the teams shared a point each.

Iraq is at the bottom of the list with no points.

The match was full of missing chances as none of the strikers were successful in netting the ball.

Today, UAE and Yemen will open Group B matches. With Yemen’s history of poor performance, it is expected the match will go in favor of the defending champions UAE.

Saudi Arabia, which has won the title three times in 1994, 2002 and 2003, will face Qatar, who also had won the title in 1992 and 2004.

An optimistic Saudi Arabia coach Nasser Al-Johar said his boys are ready now more than ever to meet Qatar. Though he sees the match will be tough for his team, he aims to “win the hearts of the people.” It is expected that the Saudi team will lead with star striker Yaser Al-Qahtani along with Malek Muaz, who will form a dangerous combination. It is not certain whether the star midfielder Muhammad Nur will participate in this match.

The 14-day championship kicked off without an opening ceremony due to the Israeli attacks on Gaza, according to tournament organizers.

Eight teams are taking part in the tournament and have been drawn into two groups. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals to be played on Jan. 14.

The final will be played on Jan. 17.