Bahrain beat Singapore

Manama : Bahrain’s national football team defeated Singapore 3-1 in a friendly international under its new Czech Republic head coach Miroslav Soukup last night in his debut match at the National Stadium in Riffa.

Mohamed Al Romaihi, Abdulla Yaser and Ismail Abdullatif tucked away their spot-kicks (11th minute, 50th and 89th) while Safuwan Baharudin, playing in centre attacking midfield, grabbed Singapore’s goal in the 37th minute.

The match was tied 1-1 at the half-time break, but the hosts added two further goals in the second half without reply for victory.

While the Lions (Singapore) did not argue about the first and third penalties, conceded after fouls inside the area by defenders Baihakki Khaizan and substitute Madhu Mohana respectively, the second spot-kick was a dubious decision when a sea of bodies tangled whilst jostling as a Bahraini corner was floated in. However in the second half, the Lions were clearly frustrated by the referee’s decisions to award Bahrain two more penalties, which were converted by Yaser and Abdullatif. Bahrain dominated possession throughout the match but were unable to carve out clear opportunities. 

Bahrain are set to play another friendly against Jordan on Sunday as part of its preparations for the qualifiers to the 2019 Asian Cup, scheduled to take place in the UAE.