Bahrain’s draw with Ukraine ‘should inspire us’: Sousa

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Head coach Helio Sousa rues Bahrain’s missed chance of coming away with a fantastic victory over European giants Ukraine on Sunday but was satisfied nonetheless with what he described as an inspirational draw in their international friendly match played in Kharkiv.

The Bahrainis faced a mammoth task against their rivals, who are ranked 24th in the world. They were able to take the lead on a Sayed Dhiya Saeed penalty with just a quarter-hour to go.

Saeed then had a brilliant chance to double their advantage late in regular time. But the talented playmaker narrowly missed his shot on a one-on one with the goalkeeper, as his attempt went a mere inches wide of the left post.

The Ukrainians eventually made Bahrain pay and were able to salvage a draw with a stoppage-time equaliser from striker Viktor Tsyhankov. Sousa regretted not coming away with the win but was still pleased with Bahrain’s performance in the contest. “This could have been much better for our team,” he said in his post-match Press conference.

“It could have been 2-0 because we had a one-on-one with the goalkeeper. “I believe that Ukraine did not have such chances as we did. I’m happy, we played very tightly, controlling the ball against a fantastic team. “Our opponent is a great team, whose players play in the Champions League, plus the Ukrainian championship is much stronger than Bahrain.

But we prepared well for this match and showed our game. Therefore, I am very pleased with the result, which should inspire us to further success.”

The tune-up was part of both teams’ preparations for the upcoming international play next month. The Bahrainis are gearing up for their remaining joint-qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2022 and AFC Asian Cup 2023, while Ukraine is prepping for their campaign in Euro 2021.

Sousa expressed his best wishes to the Ukrainians for the European championship bid. “I know that it is very important for the national team of Ukraine to leave the group at the European Championship; if you can do it, then everything will be in your hands,” he said. “Then there will be a chance to win even in the quarterfinals. I wish you all the best for Euro 2020!”