FOOTBALL – BAHRAIN suffered a tough 2-4 defeat in extra-time to Vietnam yesterday in the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup 2025, currently being played in Pattaya, Thailand.
The kingdom’s beach soccer national team put in a valiant fight in their second Group D fixture of the tournament’s preliminary round, but could not overcome their rivals in the additional session. The game was deadlocked at 2-2 at the end of regular time.
The result marked the Bahrainis’ first loss in this stage. It followed their 4-3 victory against Malaysia in their opening contest.
The nationals will be looking to bounce back from this defeat when they play Oman in their concluding fixture tomorrow.
The game is scheduled for a 4.30pm kick-off, Bahrain time.
Bahrain will be hoping to secure their place in the tournament’s quarter-finals by finishing amongst the top two in their pool.
Only the pair of leaders from each of the four groups go into the last eight, which is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.
The first period ended goalless yesterday, with neither side having many chances at opening their accounts.
But in the second, Vietnam’s Tran Ngoc Bao put his team in front when he fired in off a rebound after an initial effort by teammate Phan Dat was blocked by Bahrain goalkeeper Ahmed Abdulrasool.
Samoul Elsir Alnoor was then on target to level the proceedings, sending the match into the third period tied.
Dat then gave Vietnam a slim 2-1 edge with only four minutes left on the game clock, but Alnoor fired home once more to equalise it at 2-2, sending the contest into extra time.
There, Mai Van Manh scored in the second minute to put the Vietnamese back in front 3-2, and seconds later Dat sealed the victory to complete his brace.
The Vietnamese claimed their first-ever win in the history of the competition.
Bahrain are one of 16 national teams competing in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) event. Group A features hosts Thailand, Kuwait, Lebanon, and India; Group B is composed of Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq; and Group C comprises defending champions Iran, the UAE, Afghanistan, and Indonesia.
Following the quarter-finals, the semis will then take place next Saturday, after which the gold and bronze medal games will be held the following day.
This year’s AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup also acts as a continental qualifying tournament for the 2025 Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup, to be held in Seychelles.
The top three teams book their tickets to the international showcase, which is scheduled for May 1 to 11.
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