FOOTBALL – Promising young striker Husain Zuhair fired in a sensational hat-trick for Bahrain last night – including a double in the last 20 minutes to erase a two-goal deficit – in a thrilling 3-3 stalemate against China in the second U-17 Gulf Cup, currently being played in Doha, Qatar.
Zuhair put the kingdom’s squad ahead with a goal in the 19th minute, but the Chinese roared back and took a commanding 3-1 lead.
That set the stage for Zuhair’s end-game heroics, however, which included an equaliser from the penalty spot 10 minutes from full time to salvage a share of the points in the Group A encounter.
The game was the penultimate fixture for both teams in this phase and the nationals improved to four points, keeping their slim hopes of advancing to the semi-finals alive.
They opened the 10-nation Gulf Football Federation tournament with a narrow 1-2 defeat to the UAE, but then beat the host Qataris 1-0 to bounce back.
They then came away with another crucial point yesterday ahead of their final assignment of the preliminaries on Wednesday next week following a long break from action.
That match is scheduled for a 5.45pm kick-off, Bahrain time.
Group B is composed of defending champions Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Yemen, and Egypt.
This round concludes on Thursday, after which the top two teams from each division march through to the last four on November 1.
The tournament will then conclude with the final on November 4.
Following Zuhair’s opener yesterday, Yang Yihuan levelled for China in the 29th minute and then Liu Jinglei scored three minutes into first-half stoppage time to put his team in front at the break.
Yang Chenshou then sent in a stunning rocket from outside the area in the 62nd minute to make it 3-1, but that signalled Bahrain’s resurgence, led by Zuhair.
He scored his second in the 70th minute after heading in off a long cross from the left flank delivered by Issa Almaliki, giving the nationals new hope.
Their efforts to find an equaliser were finally rewarded when they were given a penalty after China’s Peng Xianzhen tugged on the shorts of Bahrain’s Karrar Huwaida, earning them their game-saving penalty, coolly converted by Zuhair.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh