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Asian Debate: Can Bahrain Recover From Another World Cup Heartbreak?
The Reds are left devastated again...
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Nov 16, 2009 2:45:08 AM
Iran
are still feeling the effects of failing to qualify for the World Cup. Less
than 20,000 fans went to the Azadi Stadium on Saturday to watch Team Melli
defeat Jordan 1-0 in their 2011 Asian Cup qualifier, an attendance that was a
great deal higher than the ‘crowd’ that witnessed a friendly win over Iceland a
few days earlier.
As one of Asia’s traditional powerhouses, being absent from the global footy-fest hits Iran hard and it is no surprise that qualifying for the Asian Cup is not something that is going to engage disillusioned fans. That will change over time, the hurt will fade and the passion will return.
Bahrain certainly don’t expect to reach the World Cup, the tiny Gulf State just dreams of doing so. Twice in the past four years, those dreams have been dashed. The Reds have come as close as you possibly can to FIFA’s showpiece. The whine of the vuvezelas could be heard in Manama for a few seconds before fading into the distance.
2005 saw an intercontinental play-off defeat at the hands of fellow minnows Trinidad & Tobago. This time around, the 700,000 thousand or so Bahrainis really felt that it was their year. A home and away match-up with New Zealand was, no disrespect to the All Whites, not a trepidation-filled tie.
But not only did Bahrain lose 1-0 at a rocking Westpac Stadium, they missed a penalty that would have been enough to see them through to South Africa. If that wasn’t tough enough, the team must make the long, long trek from Wellington to Sana’a, the capital of Yemen for a 2011 Asian Cup qualifier on Wednesday.
Now that is some task for coach Milan Macala - akin to losing a team losing a UEFA Champions League final before travelling home for a fourth round tie in the Carling Cup.
The Asian Cup is obviously more prestigious than England’s third domestic competition but it won’t feel that way to the vanquished West Asians just yet and as far as football goes, Yemen’s Ali Mohsen Al-Muraisi Stadium is pretty far removed from Soweto’s spellbinding Soccer City, the venue for the 2010 final.
Macala must pick himself and his players up for what has now become an important match. Fortunately Bahrain find themselves in a fairly undemanding group and must just finish above both Yemen and Hong Kong to book a place in Qatar.
Perhaps the European now wishes he hadn’t asked the AFC to reschedule the match from its original January date to this Wednesday as he would then have his full strength squad. He may be better off with a reserve side that may lack the experience of the seniors but would lack the very recent experience of the seniors.
Milan is still the man for Bahrain though it remains to be seen what happens. The stereotype of West Asian teams firing coaches at the drop of a point is still not too far off the mark. Macala and Bahrain has been a model marriage as far as the standards of the region go and together they have made great strides.
After 20 qualification matches and victories over Japan, Qatar and Uzbekistan as well as the elimination of Saudi Arabia, the decision to split may not come from the men in Manama but from the Czech tactician himself. At the age of 66, the thought of waiting four more years may not appeal.
He will have learned from mistakes made here. A final warm-up match against Togo in Bahrain was a bad idea. The Africans have been disappointing other teams around the world for their lacklustre friendly performances.
Also, while I did write that the effects of cold weather can be overblown, it does seem that playing in West Asian conditions when Wellington was half a world away in distance and almost on a different planet when it came to weather was a little pointless.
It almost worked though. If Sayed Mohamed Adnan had scored that penalty then the Kiwi capital would have been deathly still while Manama went mental.
As spot kicks from defenders go, it was more Franco Baresi and Gareth Southgate as opposed to a Stuart Pearce or Andreas Brehme. The fact that his teammates celebrated the award of the kick as if were a goal, the win and a ticket to South Africa can’t have helped.
Adnan shouldn’t have taken the kick at all, rarely has a player looked so nervous. Where were the likes of Jaycee John and Abdullah Omar? Their arms should have been raised in request to take the kick and not in celebration at the decision. After the save by the impressive Mark Paston, Bahrain’s heads dropped.
Such games are rarely easy on the eye but what they lack in beauty they make up for in intensity and on the night, the Kiwis had a little more of that.
Now Bahrain must find their way to Yemen and attempt to put the heartbreak behind them.
It will not be easy but it may be nothing to seeing New Zealand battling it out with the likes of Argentina, Brazil or Italy next summer.
John Duerden
Asia Editor
john.duerden@goal.com
As one of Asia’s traditional powerhouses, being absent from the global footy-fest hits Iran hard and it is no surprise that qualifying for the Asian Cup is not something that is going to engage disillusioned fans. That will change over time, the hurt will fade and the passion will return.
Bahrain certainly don’t expect to reach the World Cup, the tiny Gulf State just dreams of doing so. Twice in the past four years, those dreams have been dashed. The Reds have come as close as you possibly can to FIFA’s showpiece. The whine of the vuvezelas could be heard in Manama for a few seconds before fading into the distance.
2005 saw an intercontinental play-off defeat at the hands of fellow minnows Trinidad & Tobago. This time around, the 700,000 thousand or so Bahrainis really felt that it was their year. A home and away match-up with New Zealand was, no disrespect to the All Whites, not a trepidation-filled tie.
Rory Fallon Celebrates The All Important Goal
But not only did Bahrain lose 1-0 at a rocking Westpac Stadium, they missed a penalty that would have been enough to see them through to South Africa. If that wasn’t tough enough, the team must make the long, long trek from Wellington to Sana’a, the capital of Yemen for a 2011 Asian Cup qualifier on Wednesday.
Now that is some task for coach Milan Macala - akin to losing a team losing a UEFA Champions League final before travelling home for a fourth round tie in the Carling Cup.
The Asian Cup is obviously more prestigious than England’s third domestic competition but it won’t feel that way to the vanquished West Asians just yet and as far as football goes, Yemen’s Ali Mohsen Al-Muraisi Stadium is pretty far removed from Soweto’s spellbinding Soccer City, the venue for the 2010 final.
Macala must pick himself and his players up for what has now become an important match. Fortunately Bahrain find themselves in a fairly undemanding group and must just finish above both Yemen and Hong Kong to book a place in Qatar.
Milan Macala Enters The Westpac Stadium
Perhaps the European now wishes he hadn’t asked the AFC to reschedule the match from its original January date to this Wednesday as he would then have his full strength squad. He may be better off with a reserve side that may lack the experience of the seniors but would lack the very recent experience of the seniors.
Milan is still the man for Bahrain though it remains to be seen what happens. The stereotype of West Asian teams firing coaches at the drop of a point is still not too far off the mark. Macala and Bahrain has been a model marriage as far as the standards of the region go and together they have made great strides.
After 20 qualification matches and victories over Japan, Qatar and Uzbekistan as well as the elimination of Saudi Arabia, the decision to split may not come from the men in Manama but from the Czech tactician himself. At the age of 66, the thought of waiting four more years may not appeal.
He will have learned from mistakes made here. A final warm-up match against Togo in Bahrain was a bad idea. The Africans have been disappointing other teams around the world for their lacklustre friendly performances.
Also, while I did write that the effects of cold weather can be overblown, it does seem that playing in West Asian conditions when Wellington was half a world away in distance and almost on a different planet when it came to weather was a little pointless.
It almost worked though. If Sayed Mohamed Adnan had scored that penalty then the Kiwi capital would have been deathly still while Manama went mental.
Sayed Mohamed Adnan In Despair
As spot kicks from defenders go, it was more Franco Baresi and Gareth Southgate as opposed to a Stuart Pearce or Andreas Brehme. The fact that his teammates celebrated the award of the kick as if were a goal, the win and a ticket to South Africa can’t have helped.
Adnan shouldn’t have taken the kick at all, rarely has a player looked so nervous. Where were the likes of Jaycee John and Abdullah Omar? Their arms should have been raised in request to take the kick and not in celebration at the decision. After the save by the impressive Mark Paston, Bahrain’s heads dropped.
Such games are rarely easy on the eye but what they lack in beauty they make up for in intensity and on the night, the Kiwis had a little more of that.
Now Bahrain must find their way to Yemen and attempt to put the heartbreak behind them.
It will not be easy but it may be nothing to seeing New Zealand battling it out with the likes of Argentina, Brazil or Italy next summer.
John Duerden
Asia Editor
john.duerden@goal.com
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