Mehran Stars as Bahrain Brush Aside Oman in 4-2 Win

Clinical Bahrain bounce back in style to revive Gulf U20 Cup campaign

Bahrain’s under-20s breathed life into their Gulf Cup campaign last night with a 4-2 win over Oman in Abha, showing a level of quality that was missing in their 1-0 loss to Iraq in the opener.

It took just nine minutes for Ali Mehran to set the tone. Meeting a teasing cross, he stooped for a low, bouncing header that skidded beyond the Omani number 1.

Ahmed Al Mursi doubled the lead on 30 minutes, reacting quickest after Oman’s goalkeeper spilled a routine stop, poking the ball home from close range.

Oman responded shortly after, pulling one back before the break to keep themselves in the contest.

But just before the half-time whistle, Mehran struck again, this time with style: forced wide by a defender, he still managed to strike his finish into the far bottom corner, giving Bahrain a 3-1 advantage at the interval.

The Omanis struck again in the second half, testing Bahrain’s composure as the pressure mounted. But goalkeeper Abdulla Ahmed stood tall throughout, pulling a string of brilliant saves for Bahrain that prevented the Oman from drawing level. In the 73rd minute, Yahya Adel met a long ball from midfield and nodded it into the far corner to restore a 4-2 cushion and secure the points.

The result puts Ali Amer’s men back in the mix for qualification. After two matches in Group B of the AGCFF Gulf Cup U-20 in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain now turn their focus to Egypt, who they face on Thursday at 4.30pm. A win there could send Bahrain into the semi-finals, set for September 7, with the final to follow on September 10 at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium.