In video: A crazy scenario at Gulf 27: Yemen turns the tables and rains four goals on Bahrain's net
What happened in the first half?
Yemen produced one of the most thrilling halves of the Arabian Gulf Cup "Gulf 27" in the third and final round of the group stage. Trailing by a goal to Bahrain, they turned the tie on its head to lead by four, all inside 45 minutes that shredded every expectation.
Both sides walked out chasing nothing more than pride. Defeats to Qatar and the UAE in the previous two rounds had already sent them home, yet the opening minutes still stunned the Yemeni fans.
Bahrain catch Yemen off guard
Bahrain took charge from the first whistle. Striker Ali Al-Dosari found a gap in the Yemeni defence and slotted home in the seventh minute for a 1-0 lead, a goal that tore up Yemen's plans and lit up the Bahraini stands.
The comeback moment with a Ronaldo celebration
Yemen's answer was unforgettable. In the eighteenth minute, Nasser Mahmoudah Al-Ghawashi latched onto a long ball in behind the defenders, sprinted clear and left Bahrain's Hussein Abdulkarim on the floor with a clever piece of skill that sent the fans wild.
Mahmoudah didn't hesitate. He rifled a powerful shot into the net to level it at 1-1.
Scoring wasn't enough for him. He turned to the fans and celebrated like his idol Cristiano Ronaldo, complete with the famous "Siuuu", sending the Yemeni stands into raptures. That goal was the spark for the uprising that followed.
Al-Matari puts Yemen ahead
Now Yemen seized the initiative and cranked up the tempo. The moment they wanted arrived in the thirty-first minute, when captain Abdulwasea Al-Matari turned all that pressure into a second goal, a clean finish from inside the box that flipped the scoreline and put Yemen 2-1 up.
Al-Wasmani confirms the Bahraini collapse
Bahrain fell apart mentally once they went behind, and Yemen pounced. In the fortieth minute, a slick move from midfield found Rami Al-Wasmani, who had no trouble tucking it away for a third at 3-1, leaving the Bahraini fans stunned.
Qasim rounds off the goal festival
There was still time for a knockout blow. A minute before the break, Adel Abbas Qasim seized on a scramble inside the penalty area and thrashed home a fourth in the forty-fourth minute, closing a barmy first half at 4-1.
Ali Jaafar Medan reignited the contest in the 67th minute. His goal pulled one back for Bahrain, restoring belief and firing up the closing stages.
Medan struck after an organised Bahraini attack, exploiting the gaps in the Yemeni defence before drilling a fine shot into the net. That made it 4-2 and turned the heat back on a Yemen side who had bossed the game.
