China snatch late Bahrain victory
TDT | Manama
Email : hussainm@newsofbahrain.com
With no bearing on World Cup qualification, China and Bahrain met at Chongqing Longxing Stadium yesterday, aiming to end their lacklustre Group C campaigns on a positive note. Both teams, already eliminated, occupied the bottom two spots in the standings. China’s 1-0 loss to Indonesia last Thursday, courtesy of a penalty from Oxford United’s Ole Lennard Ter Haar Romenij, sealed their fate, while Bahrain’s 2-0 defeat to Saudi Arabia, with goals from Musab Al Juwayr and Abdulrahman Alobud, confirmed their elimination. The stage was set for a battle of pride in this final Matchday 10 clash.
Late Penalty Drama
The game seemed headed for a goalless draw until the dying moments when Bahrain’s substitute Hussain Al Eker, moments after coming on, handled the ball in the penalty area. China’s Wang Yudong stepped up, firing a right-footed shot into the top right corner to put China PR 1-0 up. Yudong’s excessive celebrations led to a caution, yet the goal secured China’s fifthplace finish in Group C with nine points, as Bahrain finished at the bottom with six points. The result takes Bahrain’s tally to only one win out of their ten matches, along with six losses and three draws. This mirrored China’s earlier 1-0 win over Bahrain in November 2024, decided by Yuning Zhang’s 91st-minute strike.
Tactical Set-ups
China, under Branko Ivankovic, lined up with Dalei Wang in goal, shielded by Zexiang Yang, Tyias Browning, Zhen Wei, and Lei Li. The midfield trio of Wenneng Xie, Zhengyu Huang, and Liangming Lin supported Serginho in the number 10 role, with Yuning Zhang and Yudong Wang up top.
Bahrain’s Dragan Talajic fielded Ebrahim Lutfalla in goal, with a backline of Hamad Al Shamsan, Amine Benaddi, Waleed Al Hayam, and Abdulla El Khalassy. Midfielders Ali Madan, Komail Al Aswad, Sayed Saeed, and Mahdi Humaidan supported forwards Mohamed Marhoon and Mahdi Abduljabbar.
Struggles Define Disappointing Campaigns
China’s campaign saw seven losses in nine games, with only two wins, including this latest result. Their recent form included four straight defeats, conceding seven goals and scoring once. Bahrain fared little better, winless in eight matches since a 1-0 win over 10-man Australia in September 2024. Their attack, the weakest in the qualifiers with just five goals, struggled again, with Marhoon offering rare highlights. Bahrain’s historical woes against China continued, with no win in nine meetings since September 1981.
A Small Step Forward
China’s late win provided a glimmer of hope for Ivankovic’s side, with Yudong’s composure from the spot highlighting emerging talent. For Bahrain, the defeat encapsulated a campaign of missed opportunities. As both teams shift focus to future challenges, this result underlined the fine margins in international football, even in matches with little at stake.
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