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BAHRAIN’S Argentinian tactician Gabriel Calderon will be hoping his side gets its shooting boots on for the vital final Group A Gulf Cup clash against Qatar on Friday evening.
The coach, pictured below, right, next to Jaycee John, will be hoping the ace striker will have shrugged off a niggling thigh injury after missing the opening goalless draw against Oman.
John, who impressed Calderon with his goalscoring prowess during the recent West Asian Football Championship in Kuwait, was sorely missed in the stalemate, in which both sides appeared overwhelmed by the occasion.
Nigerian-born John, in an exclusive interview with GulfWeekly prior to last night’s clash against UAE, the side that sealed Bahrain’s former English coach Peter Taylor’s fate with a 5-2 thrashing in a friendly encounter, said: “We have a good chance of qualifying for the tournament’s later stages and we must not wait for teams to win or lose to grab that spot … we have to focus on ourselves.”
The Muharraq hotshot is recovering from a muscle tear in his right thigh. “I might be back in time for the last game of the group stage,” he added. “I feel bad I couldn’t be a part of it from the start. I am heartbroken, especially because I’m playing at home and can’t represent Bahrain. I am doing a lot of therapy, a lot of recuperation and meeting with doctors. I’m improving.
“Personally, I believe I can play tomorrow and if it had been up to me I would have played in the first game. But I have to follow the doctor’s instructions and wait for the green light.”
Calderon said he was ‘satisfied’ with the side’s performance in the opening encounter but will be hoping his side will match the razzmatazz of the opening ceremony as the tournament progresses.
The hour-long ceremony at the National Stadium was spectacular with traditional Arabic dance, songs from singing stars including Nizar Abdulla, Ahmed Al Hermi and Fatima Al Zayani and fireworks watched by His Majesty King Hamad, His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter and UEFA president Michel Platini were also in attendance. Blatter later described it as ‘the perfect start’.
So far on the pitch, the biggest shock has been Saudi Arabia’s 2-0 defeat at the hands of Iraq in front of thousands of Saudi fans who had travelled across the King Fahd Causeway to support their team.
On Friday UAE will play Oman at Khalifa Sports City at 5.45pm, kicking off at exactly the same time as Bahrain against Qatar at the National Stadium.
The first-placed side in Group A will play the second-placed team from Group B at the National Stadium at 4.15pm on January 15. It will be followed by the first-placed side in Group B taking on the second-placed team from Group A at 7.45pm.
The third and fourth place play-off will be staged at Khalifa Sports City on January 18 at 3.30pm with the final taking place at 5.45pm.
Tickets to games are free but passes must be picked up from Bahrain League clubs, football associations and Gulf Cup stands in malls.
