Birchall’s goal keeps TT alive

Birchall’s spectacular 77th minute long-range strike came four minutes after Salman Ali put the Middle East nation in front with a powerful header.

Urged on by a sell-out 23,000 crowd, the hosts went on the attack early, with Aurtis Whitley finding fellow midfielder Chris Birchall but his seventh minute rocket, from 20 metres out, was saved by Bahrain’s goalkeeper Ali Hassan Ali.

Ali Hassan Ali was called out to action again in the 14th, as Carlos Edwards dispossessed left-back Sayed Jalal but, after dribbling past Abdulla Rahman on the right, the TT winger sent his shot straight at the goalie.

Bahrain’s tactics were clear from the outset - to pack their defence and rely on the counter-attack, and it almost paid off in the 24th as captain Mohamed Salman found Husain Ahmed and, perhaps surprised that he broke the offside trap, sent his right-footer wide off the mark.

Dennis Lawrence had a chance to break the deadlock in the 40th, as he met a right-side centre from Birchall but his downward header was brilliantly cleared, off the line, by the goalie.

Another right-side attack five minutes later saw striker Stern John head a Silvio Spann’s cross straight to Dwight Yorke but the national captain’s left footer was blocked by Sayed Adnan.

Yorke was again given an opportunity four minutes into the second half, as he was picked out by Whitley, outside the penalty box, but sent his left-footer wide.

With the Trinidad and Tobago squad running out of ideas, Bahrain took control of proceedings, infuriating the hosts with frequent time-wasting tactics and the speed of substitute striker Ala’a Hubail, who replaced Husain Ahmed at the half.

It was mystifying however why the fourth official Matthew Breeze of Australia allowed Bahrain’s coach Luka Peruzovic to constantly infringe by going out of his restricted touchline area to give instructions.

Nonetheless, the Bahrain squad grew in confidence, as Salman Ali forced Kelvin Jack to make a crucial save in the 60th, after it was sent through by Mohamed Salman; while the same duo teamed up again in the 69th, with Salman Ali meeting a Mohamed Salman header but skying his left-footer overbar.

Salman Ali’s persistence paid off in the 73th when, unmarked in the six-yard box, he rose to head a Jalal left-sided diagonal ball past the flat-footed Jack.

That lead lasted four minutes, as a right-side cross from Spann rebounded off Jalal’s face and, from nowhere, Birchall pounced on the loose ball and drilled an airborne 30-metre drive beyond the dive of Ali Hassan Ali.

National coach Leo Beenhakker made two switches in the second half, with Jason Scotland replacing Russell Latapy (who never really got into stride) in the 64th while Kenwyne Jones came on for John in the 81st.

But Bahrain resorted to their negative, delaying tactics, and when Australian referee Mark Shield blew the final whistle, the visitors’ delight was noticeable, in light of their goal away from home.

Teams: TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: Kelvin Jack, Marvin Andrews, Dennis Lawrence, Avery John, Silvio Spann, Chris Birchall, Dwight Yorke (capt), Carlos Edwards, Aurtis Whitley, Russell Latapy (Jason Scotland 64th), Stern John (Kenwyne Jones 81st).

BAHRAIN: Ali Hassan Ali, Husain Hasan, Sayed Adnan, Abdulla Rahman, Sayed Jalal, Talal Mohammed (Ahmed Talab 77th), Rashed Rahman, Mohamed Hubail, Salman Isa (Faouzi Aaish 90th), Mohamed Salman (capt), Husain Ahmed (Ala’a Hubail 46th).