Bahrain upset the odds
Gulf Cup Bahrain victorious in Qatar
The next day was declared a national holiday by the Bahraini government
Asian football has often seen politics overshadow action on the pitch and it was no different during the 2019 Gulf Cup in Qatar. This time, however, it was all positive and a case of the beautiful game helping to put a chink in some barriers.
If it meant that Bahrain’s first-ever triumph in the eight-team regional tournament did not quite get the international headlines it may have commanded otherwise, then so be it.
Just weeks ahead of the big kick-off it was uncertain as to whether the biennial competition would even take place at all.
The tournament was being staged by the 2022 World Cup hosts, but as three of the other seven teams – Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and United Arab
Emirates – had cut off diplomatic relations with Qatar in 2017, there were concerns. The so-called “Qatar Blockade” has meant no direct flights and as little engagement as possible. Qatar had given up hosting rights to Kuwait in 2017 when it became apparent that without the other three that year’s Gulf Cup would not go ahead.
The prospect of the three agreeing to attend in 2019 did not look good at the start of the year after Qatar went to the 2019 Asian Cup in UAE and did not receive the warmest of welcomes.
So the mid-November announcement that the federations in Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Manama had accepted invitations to participate went down well in Qatar and also bodes well for the 2022 World Cup.
At the very least, for a host nation with a population of less than three million, Qatar needs its neighbours to get involved, even if their teams don’t qualify.
While it all went pretty smoothly off the pitch, Qatar will be less than satisfied with what happened on it as they were knocked out at the semi-final stage.
That was something of a surprise as Qatar were so dominant at January’s Asian Cup, scoring 19 goals and conceding just one on their way to a first continental title.
Stars of that tournament such as top scorer Almoez Ali and newly named Asian Player of the Year Akram Afif were in action once again but could not prevent an opening game loss to Iraq.
Qatar hit back with 10 goals in their next two games, against Yemen and the UAE, but they were then beaten 1-0 by Saudi Arabia in the semi-finals.
The Saudis had won Group B after bouncing back from a loss to Kuwait to defeat Bahrain and Oman. Since Herve Renard was appointed in July, Saudi Arabia had been a little slow to find their rhythm but under the Frenchman – who led Zambia and Ivory Coast to the Africa Cup of Nations and Morocco at the 2018 World Cup – they are starting to take shape, with Abdullah Otayf, who has long had the potential to be one of the best midfielders in Asia, reaching new levels under Renard.
Saudi Arabia therefore went into the Final against their tiny neighbours Bahrain as hot favourites despite having lost in three of the previous five Finals. But Bahrain had other ideas. Helio Sousa arrived in Manama as a little-known Portuguese coach but left Doha with the trophy and plaudits, not least from the 2,000 Bahraini fans who jetted in for the Final.
After Saudi skipper Salman Al Faraj missed a first-half penalty, Mohamed Al Romaihi scored the only goal of the game, in the 69th minute, to give Bahrain a first win in their fifth Final.
And such was the excitement back home that it was no surprise when the following day was then declared a national holiday by the Bahraini government.