FOOTBALL – BAHRAIN girls’ youth football national team barged into the semi-finals last night in the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) U17 Girls’ Championship 2025, currently being held in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
Fatima Hasan scored a second-half winner to help lift the Bahrainis to a hard-earned 1-0 victory over hosts Saudi to earn their spot in the last four.
Fatima received a timely pass from teammate Hala Al Rawajih to send her through to a one-on-one with opposing goalkeeper Dima Shaikh. Fatima cleverly lobbed the ball over a charging Dima, and did so just enough to send it into the net.
Earlier in the contest, Bahrain goalkeeper Maya Al Abbasi made a crucial save on a penalty kick in the 11th minute taken by Saudi’s Maram Al Yahya. Her stop preserved the goalless score line, up until Fatima’s winner.
According to the Bahrain Football Association, Fatima’s strike was the first-ever goal in the history of the girls’ youth national team. Fatima was later named the Player of the Match by the WAFF.
With the result, the Bahrainis claimed their first and only win of the tournament’s preliminary round. They had earlier lost to Jordan 0-5 in their first fixture.
The nationals are now through to the final four as Group A runners-up. They will be taking on Group B winners Lebanon tomorrow at 3.30pm, Bahrain time. The other semi-final game is between Group A winners Jordan and Group B runners-up and defending champions Syria.
Following tomorrow’s action, the gold and bronze medal games are slated for Sunday.
The tournament is organised by the WAFF and is being held to support the various age groups in the regional game for girls.
Syria were the champions of the previous edition of the tournament, held in Amman, Jordan at the end of 2023. Lebanon won the title in its third edition, held at the beginning of 2023, as well as the crown in the second edition in Jordan in late 2019. The first tournament took place in the UAE in 2018, when Jordan were crowned the champions.
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