Ali Madan hits brace as Bahrain blank Iraq to seal semifinals

Bahrain confirmed their ‘dark horses’ status by toppling defending champions Iraq 2-0 to book a semifinal spot, posting their second straight win in the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup late on Wednesday.

Ali Madan was the star player for Bahrain with two goals at the Jaber Al Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait.

Ali Madan opened the scoring in the 38th minute after receiving a fine cross from Mohammed Marhoon.

Bahrain led 1-0 at the half-time.

Ali Madan doubled Bahrain’s lead, two minutes into second half, capitalising on a defensive error by Iraq.

The victory propelled Bahrain to the top of Group B with six points, ensuring their place in the semifinals. Bahrain had stunned Saudi Arabia 3-2 in their opening match.

The defeat put Iraq in third spot with three points in Group B. Saudi Arabia, who fought back from a two-goal deficit to overcome Yemen challenge by 3-2, are in second position with three points, but better goal difference than Iraq.

Iraq and Saudi Arabia will battle it out to decide their second team from Group in their final group encounter on December 28. Yemen are out of contention for the semifinals with a second straight defeat. Yemen lost to Iraq 1-0 in their first match.

Bahrain head coach Dragan Talajic praised his team’s performance after a clinical win against Iraq.

“Our players showed their mental strength and focus in this important match. Credit to the boys for executing our plan to perfection and seal the place in the semifinals,” the Croatian coach said.

Iraq head coach Jesus Casas expressed his disappointment with the result but remained optimistic about their chances for the next stage.

“We need to learn from the defeat and fix our shortfalls during the game. Now we need to put our entire focus on the next match against Saudi Arabia to earn a place in the semifinals,” the Spanish coach said.

Bahrain showed high efficiency in front of Iraq goal as they had four shots on target out of total seven shots. Iraq had more shots at 11 with three on target. Iraq got four corners compared to two by Bahrain.