The West Asian Gulf Cup football tournament is in full swing! The past night was arguably the craziest night in Asian football. In the last round of Group B matches, which were a matter of life and death for qualification, Saudi Arabia defeated Iraq 3-1, while Bahrain suffered a surprising 1-2 defeat at the hands of Yemen. The results shocked many fans.
The match between Saudi Arabia and Iraq saw both teams with one win and one loss, accumulating 3 points each and ranking second and third respectively before the game. The winner of this match would secure a spot in the knockout stage. Both teams had previously lost to Bahrain, so their form wasn't great. However, Iraq ranked higher than Saudi Arabia. Many fans believed that Iraq would emerge victorious, given Saudi Arabia's recent poor performance.
From the start of the game, Saudi Arabia showed a bold and decisive attitude, while Iraq seemed slightly unprepared mentally. Although they were on the back foot, Iraq's defense held up well. The first half ended in a 0-0 draw. In the second half, Saudi Arabia took the initiative to strengthen their attack. They first scored from a penalty kick opportunity. However, Iraq quickly equalized. It was clear that Saudi Arabia came prepared, as Hamdan scored twice within seven minutes. Ultimately, Saudi Arabia won 3-1 against Iraq, securing their qualification.
In the other match, group leaders Bahrain faced Yemen, who were at the bottom of the group. Bahrain had already secured their place in the next round, even as group leaders. Regardless of the outcome of the other match, no team could surpass Bahrain's points tally. Moreover, Bahrain had the advantage in head-to-head matchups. Therefore, the match against Yemen was more of a training exercise for Bahrain. Yemen, having been eliminated earlier, played their last match for honor.
It's hard to imagine that Yemen, ranked 158th in the world, could cause such trouble for Bahrain, ranked 81st. In the first half, although Bahrain dominated, Yemen didn't give them many chances. Instead, during one of Yemen's attacks, a Bahraini defender scored an own goal. Yemen surprisingly led 1-0 at halftime. In the second half, Bahrain increased their offensive efforts and equalized in the 62nd minute. Unfortunately, a Bahraini player was then sent off with a red card. Yemen scored the decisive goal in the 88th minute. In the end, Bahrain suffered a surprising 1-2 defeat against Yemen.
With these results, the top four teams in the Gulf Cup have emerged: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Oman will advance to the semi-finals together.
Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are competitors for China's national team in the top 18 qualifiers. Bahrain defeated both Saudi Arabia and Iraq in the group stage, while Saudi Arabia's form has clearly improved. Compared to their previous performances in the top 18 qualifiers, both teams have shown significant improvement, which is a blow to China's national team. This is bad news for China. In the next round of the top 18 qualifiers, China will face Saudi Arabia away from home. In the final round, China will host Bahrain. Can China's national team achieve their goal of direct qualification for the World Cup? We'll have to wait and see!