Bahrain head coach Dragan Talajic has praised his players’ maturity in their 3-0 win over Nepal in a Group H match of the Preliminary Joint Qualification-Round 2 for the Fifa World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 on Tuesday.
“Our players demonstrated their character throughout the match, enabling us to secure another three points on our journey towards reaching the next round of the qualifiers,” said Talajic.
“We provided an opportunity for some young players to play, aiming to give them more experience and exposure.”
Tuesday night’s victory at the Bahrain National Stadium in Riffa leaves Bahrain – on nine points – well placed to advance with matches against Yemen and UAE remaining.
Meanwhile, UAE’s Yahya Al Ghassani said that head coach Paulo Bento’s due diligence worked in his team’s favour as they claimed a 3-0 victory against Yemen on Tuesday.
A fourth straight win sealed UAE’s progress into the third round of the Fifa World Cup qualifiers and booked their ticket to the AFC Asian Cup.
Having won the reverse fixture 2-1 last Thursday, Al Ghassani said the task of overcoming Yemen was much easier courtesy of the preparations done by Bento.
“Our last match was also against Yemen, so it was easier for our head coach Bento to analyse them, he had a clear vision for this match,” said Al Ghassani.
“This made us enter the match with seriousness, and we benefited from the new faces who played today, as all players who participated in both matches showed their best.
“We played a good first half and were leading 3-0, but then the performance dropped a little in the second half.”
Defeat left Yemen third in the standings on three points with head coach Noureddine Ould Ali blaming the lack of luck for his side’s performance.
“We had a disastrous 20 minutes in the first half, and unfortunately, luck wasn’t on our side as we conceded three goals,” said Ould Ali. “Our players need to focus more on the mental aspect of the game. It’s crucial for them to maintain concentration throughout the match.
“We must put in more effort to develop a team capable of competing against stronger opponents.”
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