Bahrain shatter Kuwait’s hopes; Oman shock Saudi Arabia to reach Arabian Gulf Cup final

Kuwait City: It will be a happy new year for Bahrain and Oman after they both reached yesterday s final of the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup in Kuwait. Bah...

Kuwait City: It will be a happy new year for Bahrain and Oman after they both reached yesterday’s final of the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup in Kuwait.

Bahrain battled hard after being reduced to 10 men early in the second half to beat the host nation 1-0, while Oman, also down to 10 men in their first half, stunned Saudi Arabia with a gritty performance to book their place with a 2-1 win.

At a sold-out Jaber Al Ahmad International Stadium, there was little between the two sides in a tight first half that saw Kuwait’s Fahad Al Hajeri clear off the line eight minutes before the break to send the sides into the interval goalless.

The game came alive in the second half when Bahrain’s Mohamed Marhoon struck the crossbar two minutes after the restart, but on the 52nd minute striker Mahdi Abduljabber saw red for his second caution to give Kuwait a man advantage.

It was 10-man Bahrain, however, who broke the deadlock in the 73rd minute when Marhoon swept home from close range after a right wing free-kick caused chaos in the Kuwait box. Kuwait looked for an equaliser, cheered on by a vociferous 60,122 crowd, but Bahrain’s defence held firm for a memorable victory.