Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Manama: Mohamed Tayeb Al Alawi scored twice as Bahrain put themselves back in the reckoning for a place in the playoff round of the AFC Asian Qualifiers for the 2012 London Games with a 2-1 win over Syria in their penultimate Group C match in the third round of qualifiers on Wednesday.
Al Alawi scored the opener in the 12th minute before netting the winner on the stroke of full time after substitute Ahmad Al Douni had equalised for Syria with four minutes left on the clock.
Bahrain's victory saw them go level with the Syrians on nine points with one match left to play but the real side to benefit from the outcome was Japan, who went three points clear at the top with a 4-0 win over Malaysia earlier on Wednesday that gave Takashi Sekizuka's side a healthy advantage over the Middle Eastern duo when it comes to goal difference.
Japan host Bahrain in their final Group C match on March 14 knowing that they can still finish top of the table and book their ticket to London even if they lose at home to the Gulf Kingdom and Syria beat Malaysia on the same day.
In addition to their three point lead, Japan also boast a plus eight goal difference compared to Syria's plus three and are almost certain to join Korea Republic and the Group B winners at the London Games.