Bahrain hold defending champions Oman in a goalless draw

DOHA: Bahrain played their hearts out to hold defending champions Oman in a goalless draw in their Group B match at the 24th Gulf Cup here at the Al Duhail Stadium on Wednesday night.

It wasn’t one of those great matches as both the teams indulged in several hit-and-miss opportunities.

“If you cannot win, do not lose,” Oman coach Erwin Koeman said after the match. “I’m pleased with the game. We had better chances for 75 minutes, but in the end it was nil-nil. We can concentrate on the next game.”

Oman has come here following an impressive 2022 World Cup Qualifers, where they are second behind Qatar in Group E.

However, Koeman saw his boys squandered a lot of close opportunities as the both team struggled hard to break the deadlock.

“We didn’t concede a goal. That’s the positive news,” added Koeman, older brother of the Netherlands coach Ronald.

But the Dutchman said he might replace some players in their next match against Kuwait.

“We need some fresh energy, and look forward to winning the game,” said the 58-year-old.

Both the goalkeepers were outstanding in the evening’s first match of the tournament.

Oman’s Faiyz Issa Al Rusheidi, adjudged best player of the match, and Bahrain’s Sayed Shubbar Hashem, who is also the team captain, were a tough nut to crack.

“It was a difficult game as expected. We created a lot of opportunities in the first 20 minutes, but couldn’t convert them,” said Bahrain coach Helios Sousa.

Bahrain has never the Gulf Cup since it was started in 1970. Sousa exuded confidence on his team’s chances in this edition, but to achieve that target the Portuguese must pull up his socks.

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are the other two sides in the group.

“We are building this team for five months. Qatar has been working on their development for 10 years. Oman also have done a lot of work on their youth development projects. Everybody also wants us to win the tournament, but we will try to our level best,” added Sousa.