Heroes hailed.
By Rami Hulayyel.[/size]
Bahrain's national soccer team heroes were given a grand reception last night on their arrival in a private jet from Port-of-Spain following a 1-1 draw in the first-leg against Trinidad and Tobago. The delegation was headed by the General Organisation for Youth and Sports president Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa who thanked the Kingdom's leadership for its support to the team.
Trinidad also reached Bahrain last night with a delegation headed by its president George Maxwell Richards and over 300 Trinidad supporters.
The second-leg will be played on Wednesday at the National Stadium.
"It was a very tough match for us as we played in a different region for the first time, but the players put up a tremendous performance and deserved this result," said Shaikh Fawaz on arrival.
Shaikh Fawaz, however, warned the team against complacency.
"Some poor decisions by referee Mark Shield denied us a crucial victory, but I have full faith in our players to seize this opportunity and qualifying for the World Cup. I also believe that Bahraini supporters will decide the fate of the team," he said.
Bahrain Football Association (BFA) vice-president Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said it was a crucial result against a team like Trinidad consisting of professionals based in England and Scotland.
"The team did well in Port-of-Spain and will have to perform similarly here on Wednesday. I believe the players are capable of doing especially well, particularly in front of their home crowd," he said.
Bahrain goalkeeper and the team's most capped player Ali Hassan, who bought off some outstanding saves, said the first-leg was only the 'first-half' and they still have a 'second-half' at the National Stadium.
"This is a do-or-die match for us. We have never been so close to the World Cup and should never miss this opportunity," said the 34-year-old Muharraq Club goalkeeper.
"The players are in high spirits and determined to win Wednesday's match and dedicate this achievement to the Kingdom and its leadership," he said.
"I would like to thank Shaikh Fawaz who was with us for most of the time and gave us his support," he said.
Defender Sayed Mohammed Adnan said the team played a great match in spite of the long journey they made.
"We still have 90 minutes to go and it will decide our fate. At this stage, we need full support from our fans and we promise to give off our best," he said.
"We played a very good game and shocked the hosts with Salman Isa's goal, but we were unlucky to concede the lead," said Bahrain star striker Ala'a Hubail, who came in for Hussain Ali just after half-time.
"I was pleased with the performance. Each player did his work perfectly and now it is time for us to prepare for the next stage," added Ala'a, the elder brother of team midfielder Mohammed.
"I would like to invite all our supporters for the second-leg in which we will be in our complete red outfit which will boost us morally," he said.
BFA member Yousef Hassan said he was expecting this result. "I spoke to the players before the match and told them that this Trinidad team is not better than us," said the former international.
Interestingly, Hassan was a member of the national junior team which reached the semi-finals in the 1989 World Cup in Scotland along with present goalkeeper Hassan. "Our mission is not over yet. We still have one match to go. So, let's hold off our celebrations until the final whistle on Wednesday," said Hassan.
