Dragan Talajic accepts blame as Bahrain suffer 5-2 Gulf Cup defeat by Yemen

Bahrain manager Dragan Talajic has taken responsibility for his side’s heavy 5-2 loss to Yemen in their final Gulf Cup group-stage match.

Talajic, the Croatian coach, said he was accountable for the result after Bahrain ended their campaign without a point.

“I take responsibility for this result because I was the one who selected this group of players,” he said at a news conference.

Yemen produced the stronger performance, particularly in the first half, although Bahrain improved after the interval.

“The Yemen national team gave the better performance, especially in the first half, and I congratulate them on the victory,” Talajic added. “We played an excellent second half, but it was not enough.”

Bahrain took the lead after only six minutes through Ali Al-Doseri, but Yemen quickly turned the match around. Nasser Al-Ghawashi equalised in the 18th minute before Abdulwasi Al-Mutairi put Yemen ahead 13 minutes later.

Rami Ali Al-Wasmani added Yemen’s third in the 40th minute and Adel Abbas scored in the 44th, leaving Yemen 4-1 ahead at half-time.

Ali Jaafar Madan reduced the deficit for Bahrain in the 67th minute, but Yemen completed the scoring when Al-Wasmani scored his second goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Talajic acknowledged the disappointment felt by Bahrain supporters and said the country’s football authorities would need to examine the team’s performance.

“I know the Bahraini fans are disappointed,” he said. “We must analyse everything that happened, and the Bahrain Football Association has the experience to find solutions.”

He also admitted that Bahrain had fallen well short of their performance in the previous edition of the tournament.

“We did not offer anything in this competition compared with what we did in the previous edition,” Talajic said. “I wanted to deliver a better performance, but we were unable to do so.”

The match was effectively a dead rubber, with both teams already unable to advance. Yemen finished third in the group with three points, while Bahrain ended the tournament at the bottom without collecting any points.