KUWAIT CITY: Saudi Arabia lost 3-2 to Bahrain here on Sunday to get their challenge for the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup off to the worst possible start.
The defeat at the hands of their rivals for 2026 World Cup qualification leaves Herve Renard’s men with it all to do if they are to finish in the top two places in Group B and progress to the semifinal.
It also means that the Green Falcons have won just one of their last eight competitive matches.
Bahrain, who drew with Saudi Arabia in October in the final match of Roberto Mancini’s troubled tenure, took the lead in the 19th minute with a well-worked corner.
Mahdi Al-Humaidan swung over a cross from the right and there was Mahdi Abduljabbar to meet the ball at the near post and send a powerful header into the opposite top corner.
Bahrain extended their lead seven minutes before the break. Mohamed Marhoon’s low cross from the right took a slight touch from Ali Lajami to help the ball on its way to Humaidan who shot past Nawaf Al-Aqidi from close range.
Saudi Arabia have not won the trophy for 20 years and Renard had selected a strong team to start this campaign and they got back into the game with 17 minutes remaining.
Bahrain failed to deal with a ball into the area and there was Musab Al-Juwayr to side-foot the ball beautifully home from the right side.
Suddenly the Saudi Arabian fans in the Jaber International Stadium were on their feet, but not for long as three minutes later Marhoon restored Bahrain’s two-goal cushion in exquisite fashion.
Mohamed Al-Romaih’s volleyed pass from midway in the Saudi Arabian half floated over the heads of the green backline for Marhoon to gently lift the ball over Al-Aqidi.
To Saudi Arabia’s credit, they kept coming back and were given a penalty with four minutes remaining as Amine Benaddi handled in the area.
It looked as if Salem Al-Dawsari was going to take the kick but the star of the team, who missed from the spot against Indonesia and Bahrain in recent World Cup qualifiers, handed the ball to Salem Al-Shehri who made no mistake.
The 2004 champions were unable to get the third goal that would have earned a point and now face Yemen, who earlier lost 1-0 to Iraq.
The Green Falcons need improvement, a lift and — most importantly — a win.
