Yemen surprises Bahrain with a historic five-goal victory in their Gulf Cup 27 match

The Yemen national team secured a prestigious and historic victory as it concluded its matches in the 27th edition of the Gulf Cup of Nations football tournament, currently being held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Yemeni team achieved a thrilling 5-2 win against the Bahrain national team on Wednesday in the third (and final) match of Group Two in the group stage, played in the Saudi city of Jeddah.

Bahrain took an early lead in the seventh minute through Ali Hamoud Al-Dosari, but Nasser Mohammedwah quickly equalized for Yemen in the 18th minute.

Seizing on the confusion experienced by Bahraini players, Yemen added a second goal in the 31st minute through Abdulwasea Al-Mutairi, while his teammates Rami Al-Wasmi and Adel Abbas Qasim scored the third and fourth goals in the 40th and 44th minutes, respectively.

In the second half, Bahrain reduced the deficit when Ali Madan scored the team’s second goal in the 67th minute. However, Al-Wasmi struck again, netting Yemen’s fifth goal and his personal second in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

With this result, Yemen earned its first three points in the tournament, moving into third place, while the defending champions, Bahrain, remained winless and at the bottom of the standings.

This marks the second victory in Yemen’s history in the Gulf Cup record, following their first win in the competition during the previous edition held in Kuwait in 2024, when they also defeated Bahrain 2-1.

The first round of Group Two matches saw the United Arab Emirates defeat Yemen 4-0 on Thursday, and Qatar beat Bahrain 2-0. In the second round on Sunday, the UAE defeated Bahrain 3-0, and Qatar beat Yemen 1-0.

Bahrain started the match strongly, dominating possession across various positions, particularly in the central midfield area. This dominance contributed to their opening goal when striker Ali Al-Dosari exploited a defensive error by Yemen in clearing the ball, striking it from inside the penalty area to find the net in the sixth minute.

Despite this, Yemen showed determination to quickly regain control of the game through rapid, high-tempo attacks. Adel Abbas tested the defense with a shot from outside the penalty area in the 12th minute that went over the crossbar, prompting a response from Bahrain’s Hussein Abdul Karim with a header from inside the box in the 14th minute that missed the target.

Yemen managed to equalize when Osama Anbar delivered a long through ball into the penalty area, which Nasser Al-Jahoushi controlled and fired into the net in the 18th minute. His teammate Abdulwasea Al-Mutairi then added the second goal in the 31st minute, rising to head in a cross sent by Adel Abbas from a corner kick.

Yemen continued their repeated attacking efforts. In the 36th minute, Adel Abbas took another shot from outside the box, but Bahraini goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Gharabli made a successful save. Additionally, a header from teammate Dimani Al-Baghlai from inside the penalty area in the 37th minute went just wide of the post.

Rami Al-Wasmi extended Yemen’s lead with the third goal in the 40th minute, converting a low pass from Adel Abbas on the left side into the net. Adel Abbas then compounded Bahrain’s difficulties by scoring the fourth goal in the 44th minute, finishing a quick counter-attack after receiving the ball inside the penalty area.

Yemen continued their efforts with the start of the second half when Nasser Al-Jahwashi struck a shot from inside the penalty area, which was saved by goalkeeper Al-Gharabli. The same player then rose to meet a cross from the right flank, directing a header that narrowly missed the post in the 46th minute.

Dragan Talajic, Bahrain’s coach, made several changes, most notably bringing on Mohammed Marhoon and Kamel Al-Aswad. The latter fired a shot from inside the penalty area that sailed over the crossbar in the 54th minute, before his teammate Sayed Mehdi Baqer also tested the goal with a shot from inside the box that went just wide of the post in the 66th minute.

Bahrain’s performance improved significantly after the changes to their lineup in the second half, and they managed to reduce the deficit when Mohammed Marhoon played a through ball into the penalty area, finding Ali Madan, who successfully scored in the 67th minute.

On the other hand, Al-Jahwashi nearly threatened Bahrain’s goal with a shot from inside the penalty area that hit the post in the 69th minute.

In the 71st minute, Bahrain’s Kamel Al-Aswad struck a direct free kick that went over the crossbar. Ahmed Maher responded with a shot from inside the penalty area, but Al-Gharabli made a successful save in the 85th minute.

Rami Al-Wasmi confirmed Yemen’s victory with a fifth goal, capitalizing on a pass from teammate Anis Al-Ma’ari to slot the ball into the net in the fifth minute of stoppage time, securing Yemen’s biggest win in the Gulf Cup.