KUWAIT, 18 December 2002 — Saudi Arabia began its campaign in this year’s Prince Faisal ibn Fahd Soccer for the Arab Cup with a 2-1 victory over Bahrain yesterday.
In a match that saw plethora of action despite difficult field conditions, it was the Saudis who called the tune for the majority of the match before sealing a fine win.
After a period of sustained domination Faisal Al-Obaily struck in the 34th minute to put the Saudis ahead. But in a rare counterattack, Bahrain restored parity ten minutes later through Talal Mohammad and the team went into the break level at 1-1. Saudi Arabia’s continued domination fetched rewards in the 70th minute when Talal Mishaal scored what proved to be the winner.
Prince Nawaf ibn Faisal, deputy chief of the Presidency of Youth Welfare, congratulated Prince Sultan ibn Fahd, president of the Youth Welfare and the head of the Saudi Football Federation on the Saudi achievement. Saudi coach Van der Liem said the Saudi boys deserved victory as they played very well despite poor ground conditions following heavy rains.
Bahrain’s coach too praised his team’s performance and blamed the soggy field for the defeat. Saudi Arabia will play against Lebanon tomorrow.
