Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Manama: Hassan Jameel’s first-half penalty was enough for Bahrain to defeat defending champions Saudi Arabia 1-0 and claim the GCC U-23 Championship for the first time since the annual tournament’s inception in 2008.
The midfielder, who scored three times as Bahrain missed out on qualification to the inaugural AFC U-22 Championship, successfully converted a 32nd minute spot-kick as the Gulf kingdom avoided a hat-trick of runners-up finishes to the Saudis after losing last year’s final 2-0 and finishing second in the inaugural five-team, round robin tournament.
Kuwait finished third following a 4-3 penalty shootout triumph over AFC U-22 Championship hosts Oman after the two sides were locked at 0-0 at the end of regulation time.