JEDDAH, 31 January 2003 — Bahrain vaulted to the top of the standings in the 16th Gulf Soccer Championship in Kuwait City with a 5-1 defeat of Yemen yesterday.
Yemen, who were hoping to repeat the performance against Oman, found Bahrain in an aggressive mood and after they conceded a goal in the second minute the match as a contest ended. Bahrain’s goal, the fastest in the tournament so far, was scored by Muhammad Salmeen who crowned a fine solo effort that saw him break past three Yemeni defenders before shooting unerringly on target.
Yemen did push forward trying to score an equalizer and come back into the game. And in the 12th minute leveled from a penalty award. A Yemeni attacker was brought down in the box and Adel Al-Silmi shot home from the spot.
But that was all the room Bahrain allowed Yemen. They retook the lead four minuets later in the 17th minute of the game when Hussein Ali gave a nice cross to Ala Ahmad, who put the ball on the back of the net. Bahrain controlled the match throughout the first half and again went ahead in the 38th minute when the referee awarded them a penalty. The award was given after the referee adjudged that a Yemeni defender handled the ball in the box. Talal Yousif shot was blocked by the Yemeni goalie but Yousif made no mistake from the rebound.
Yemen’s cup of woes was to the brim when Matters Sorori was sent out for a tough tackle in the 44th minute.
The second half was no different from the first half, and Bahrain, who managed to score an early goal in the second half in the 48th minute through Ala Ahmad, had total control.
Two minutes later, the referee sent another Yemeni player, Ali Al-Uqbki, and the Yemenis had to play for the remainder of the match with nine players. Bahrain added their fifth goal in the 74th minute through Rashed Al-Dossari, whose long range shot beat the Yemeni keeper hands down.
Today, UAE will take on Oman.
Real Coach Queiroz Hopes to Face United in Dream Final
Real Madrid coach Carlos Queiroz says he hopes to end to his first season in charge by seeing his team meet his former side Manchester United in the Champions League final in May, Reuters adds.
“It would be a dream final,” Queiroz told Spanish sports daily yesterday. “It would be fantastic to see Real face up to United and that is the final I want to see.”
The former Portugal coach was Alex Ferguson’s assistant at United last season but left after just a year when he was offered the job of replacing Vicente del Bosque at Real.
Despite some criticism of his tactical decisions in early matches and difficulties in dealing with a shortage of cover in defense, Queiroz believes his first six months at the club have been a success.
