Football: Cape Verde edge battling Bahrain – Gulf Digital News

Football: Cape Verde edge battling Bahrain – Gulf Digital News

Cape Verde defeated Bahrain 2-1 in a friendly, but hard-fought, football match at the Bahrain National Stadium last night.

After a combative first half, which ended with the two sides locked 1-1, Cape Verde took what eventually proved to be a decisive lead just minutes into the second half when captain Ryan Mendes scored the second goal for the visitors.

With the pressure on the home side and just half an hour left in the game, Bahrain sought desperately to score the equaliser, with striker Abdulla Yusuf Helal, who had come on as a substitute only minutes earlier, leading their efforts.

But it was Bahrain captain Rashid Alhooty, who ran down the left with twenty minutes to go in the match and tried to plant the ball in the goal with a strong, left-footed kick. Unfortunately, the ball sailed over both Cape Verde goalkeeper Marcio Rosa and the goal.

Just a minute later, Rosa found himself in action again when he fended off an attempt by Helal.

Determined to score that elusive equaliser, Helal featured in the thick of things again after five minutes, when his right-footed kick off the edge of the box forced Rosa to dive full-length to his right to gather the