The fans of the Yemeni national team feel sad after the team’s loss to Bahrain in the double Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and the 2027 Asian Nations.

The Yemeni national team was defeated by two unanswered goals against its Bahraini counterpart, at the beginning of its journey in the group stage of the double Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and 2027 Asian Cup finals.

The Yemeni team entered the match, which it played at the Abha Club Stadium in Saudi Arabia, with remarkable reserve, in the face of Bahraini attacks from the beginning, as the latter completely controlled the course of the first half, while Yemen appeared without solutions during its attempts to reach the Bahraini goal.

Bahrain's possession during the first half resulted in scoring the first goal in the 38th minute by player Mohammed Marhoon after a mistake by goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Saadi, ending the half with this result.

At the beginning of the second half, the Bahraini national team added a second goal with friendly fire from Yemeni defender Haroun Al-Zubaidi, who tried to stop a strong shot from the Bahraini players, but it entered the net in the 48th minute.

Despite Bahrain's second goal, the Yemeni team's performance improved relatively, and its players attempted to launch numerous attacks on the Bahraini goal, especially after the changes made by Czech coach Miroslav Skup, but they did not result in any change in the result.

What are the reasons for Yemen's loss against Bahrain?

Commenting on the match, sports journalist Ammar Al-Hassani believes that the Yemeni team did not provide any noteworthy performance during its match against its Bahraini counterpart, indicating that the matter was expected, due to the lack of a clear technical vision for the way the team played.

Al-Hassani told Al-Ain Sports: “The Yemeni national team, under the leadership of Miroslav Skup, did not create a personality for itself on the field. Until the Bahrain match, the team was not defending well.”

Yemen vs. Bahrain 

He continued: “The Yemeni team was not attacking as it should have, even though the match was considered to be on its home soil and among its fans, and it also has professional players in Gulf leagues. They should have provided their expertise at this time, but they did nothing.”

He continued: “The excuse (the lack of a local league) is no longer convincing to many, in light of the presence of these professional players in the Gulf leagues, but they did not serve the national team due to the absence of the technical vision and tactical playing method of the coach.”

A team for the future

For his part, sports journalist Matar Muhammad believes that the result was expected; He noted the technical differences between the Yemeni and Bahraini teams, but he believes that the match was not without benefits, according to his description.

Matar says to Al Ain Sports: “The Yemeni national team won several young names that were introduced by Miroslav Skup after the 70th minute of the second half, which brought about a clear change in the performance of the Yemeni national team for the better.”

Matar pointed out that the technical situation of the Yemeni team will not allow it to go far in these qualifiers, especially the World Cup qualifiers, but he can invest in these matches to prepare a future team that depends on young players, who can do something if they are given a greater opportunity.